Take It Back
by Voltora
Summary: A Death Eater is sent back into the past, back to the MWPP era. His mission; Assassination. The target; No one knows. Can Harry stop him from altering the past ... or succumb to the deadly temptation to do the same? *COMPLETE*
1. Summons

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Take It Back

By Voltora

~ Dedicated to my brother David, a constant source of irritation and inspiration. ~

Authors Notes

This is a sequel to my first fic **Tell No Lies**, but it is **not** necessary to read that first. A brief overview of what happened in Tell No Lies is included in chapter one for the benefit of those who have not read it.

I have written the entire fic prior to posting so there will be regular updates on Tuesdays and Fridays.

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Disclaimer

Harry Potter is the divine property of the literary goddess; Joanne Kathleen Rowling. *Bows before the shrine with offerings of Chocolate Frogs* I am merely borrowing her wonderful creations for a short while and am obliged to give them back when I am finished. 

Any characters and places that you, as the reader, do not recognise from the books, are products of my own creation unless otherwise stated. Please ask if you wish to use them in your own fics. 

Any similarities between this fic and any other that has been posted before 24th September 02 is simply coincidental and non-intentional.

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Summary

A Death Eater is sent back into the past. His mission; assassination. His target; no one knows. Can Harry stop him from altering the past … or succumb to the deadly temptation to do the same?

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Timeline; (Following on from Tell No Lies) The summer following Harry's fifth year.

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Chapter One; Summons

Dark shadows filled his vision. Only a few dim pinpricks of flickering candle light prevented the man from fumbling blindly down the long, narrow corridor. A thin bar of light guided him to the door.

His night vision, having adjusted to the gloom, caught the vague outlines of two guards standing on either side of the door. The towering figures blended so perfectly with the shadows that anyone who had not already detected their presence would have been caught unawares by the scythe blades that abruptly fell across the door, clashing loudly, shining with an unnatural light.

The man calmly stated his name and business as ordered. In one fluid motion the guards withdrew, the door swinging slowly open with an ominous creak. The watery light within stopped at the doorway, unable to penetrate the magically thickened darkness.

Silent as the shadows, the man glided into the chamber.

Flambeaus alight with deep orange flames did little to warm the ice-like atmosphere of the elegant chamber. The marble floor gleamed as red as a sea of blood, trapped motionless in frozen waves. The walls were covered with black drapes and the ceiling lost in darkness. A grand fireplace dominated the room, the fire crackling loudly.

A tall, skeletal man, draped in a long, flowing black cloak, stood before the fire, gazing deep into the dancing flames. He did not turn to acknowledge the man's entrance, now waiting patiently, and at a respectable distance.

'Seth Corbeau,' The voice seemed to chill the room further. 'You know the reason I demand your presence.'

The other man nodded.

'Yes, my Lord.'

'Then you accept the assignment.'

'I will not fail you, my Lord,' Corbeau stated confidently. 'I have yet to miss a single target,'

'See that you do not.' Voldemort turned, his black cloak swirling, his scarlet eyes reflecting the blazing firelight. 'I want him eliminated. I will not tolerate failure.'

Corbeau squared his shoulders.

'I can assure you, my Lord, the target is as good as dead. I have been thorough in my research of his haunts, habits and acquaintances. It will be quite simple to get close enough to dispose of him.'

Voldemort smiled, a cruel lip-less smile.

'How long before you are able to complete your mission?'

'The preparations are already underway,' said Corbeau swiftly. 'So it should take,' he chuckled, 'no time at all.'

*

__

Knock knock.

'Harry? Harry, are you awake yet?'

With a sleepy grunt, fifteen-year-old Harry Potter fought his way out from under the bed covers, reaching out a hand to his bedside table, fumbling for his glasses.

'Harry?'

The bedroom door opened a crack.

'I'm up,' Harry yawned, kicking back the covers reluctantly.

His godfather, Sirius Black, poked his grinning face round the door.

'Come on, sleepyhead, you can't stay in bed _all _day.'

'I can try,' said Harry, protesting only mildly as he adjusted his glasses.

Sirius crossed the room, waving his wand at the window drapes which flew apart. Bright, early morning sunshine flooded the room in an instant. Screwing his eyes shut, Harry seized the covers and, pulling them up over his head, rolled over and buried his face in the pillows. The bed was just so soft and comfortable. Harry was very tempted to sleep through the entire summer. He breathed a sigh of content.

Next thing he knew, the covers had been jerked suddenly off of his head.

'Oi!'

Harry sat up, trying to snatch them back. At the foot of the bed, a large, shaggy black dog with pale eyes had the edge of the covers in its mouth. Tail wagging, the dog gave them another sharp tug. Harry grabbed hold and yanked hard but to no avail. The dog braced its legs and pulled back. After a few seconds of tug-o-war, Harry grinned mischievously and let go.

The dog lurched backwards, the covers flying off the bed and over his head. Harry fell back against the mound of pillows sniggering as the dog struggled to extract its four paws from the tangle of sheets and then leapt up onto the bed beside him. Next moment, Sirius was lying next to him, smiling broadly.

'Now you _have_ to get up.'

Harry shook his head.

'You cheated.'

'Hey, that wasn't cheating!' Sirius protested. '_This _is cheating.'

Harry burst out laughing as Sirius dived in, tickling mercilessly. Grabbing him around the middle, Sirius hoisted his godson off the bed, slung him over his shoulder fireman style, and marched out of the bedroom, Harry laughing all the way.

'Sirius, put me down!'

'What? Here? Okay!'

Harry yelped as Sirius leaned casually backwards over the landing banister. The hallway below looked a _very_ long way down.

'No! No! _Don't_ put me down!'

Sirius heaved an exaggerated sigh.

'Make up your mind!'

'Padfoot, are you going to stop teasing the poor boy long enough to have some breakfast?'

Remus Lupin was standing in the doorway of the kitchen below, arms folded, looking up at them, his blue-grey eyes sparkling with amusement.

'Morning Moony!' Sirius called, swinging Harry around, away from the banister.

'Morning. Would you like boiled or scrambled eggs, Harry?'

'Scrambled please.' Harry called back as his godfather set him back on his feet.

The irresistible smell of sizzling bacon wafted out of the small kitchen, drawing Harry and Sirius in like a Summoning Spell had been integrated into the aroma. While Remus was busy turning over the bacon, Harry set the table and Sirius put the kettle on.

Harry paused by the window, looking out at the open fields that backed onto the house. A small stable stood off to one side and beyond it lay dense woodland with a bubbling stream running along the edge.

Harry still couldn't believe it, even after a fortnight of being here, that he could actually call it home.

A month before the end of his fifth year, Lord Voldemort had launched an attack on Hogwarts. Harry had faced off with the Dark Lord and had almost defeated him. However, Voldemort had escaped after being severely wounded.

While Harry and Sirius had been fighting for their lives, Harry's best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, along with Remus in his werewolf form, had managed to capture Peter Pettigrew. Once the battle was over, they'd sprung the good news on Harry and Sirius.

After the Ministry had been informed, the news had flashed up and down the country at lightning speed. The Daily Prophet had talked of nothing else.

****

'The Secret Keeper Switch!'

'Peter Pettigrew Found Alive!'

'Azkaban Escapee Was Framed!'

The story of Hogwarts coming under siege had woken the entire magical community to accept the reality of the Dark Lords return, and Sirius' case had flown through the courts with the eyes of every witch and wizard in the country on it.

****

'Sirius Black Declared Innocent!'

Sirius had walked free and back into Harry's life as his legal guardian. As soon as the school term was over, Harry was met at Kings Cross by his godfather and whisked away to his new home.

The large country house was hidden away from Muggle towns and covered with Muggle-Repelling Charms. There were also dozens of protective wards and barrier spells over the entire area. Even if the Dark Lord himself were in no fit state to carry out an attack, he would not hesitate to send each and every last one of his Death Eaters if they ever discovered the whereabouts of the Boy-Who-Lived.

Only a select few knew of Harry's new location. Indeed, Harry himself, wasn't entirely sure where in the country he was right now, but it didn't bother him much. He was no longer with the Dursley's in Privet Drive and he was living with Sirius from now on; that was all he needed to know.

Although there still was the risk of the Dark Lords supporters finding Harry, the only way to enter the property safely was by direct invitation from any two of the three residents.

Remus had moved in with them shortly after Sirius' innocence had been officially declared. He had declined the offer at first; insisting that he didn't want to intrude but Sirius had been very persistent and persuasive. In the end it was proved that arguing with Sirius was as productive as trying to fly without a broomstick; you just weren't going to get anywhere. Harry was delighted and the three of them had quickly settled in together.

They were halfway through breakfast (bacon, eggs, toast and baked beans) when a small flock of owls came soaring in through the open window, dropping a number of letters, scrolls and a copy of the Daily Prophet onto the table and flying out again like a well trained squadron.

Spying one addressed to him, Harry picked up a thick parchment envelope stamped with the Hogwarts seal.

Taking a deep breath, Harry slit it open with his butter knife.

__

Dear Mr Potter,

With regards to your recent examinations we enclose your Ordinary Wizarding Level results.

Professor M. McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress.

Hands shaking slightly, Harry slowly unfolded the enclosed parchment. Remus and Sirius had both stopped eating, having recognised the official envelope, watching in silence. Wide eyes darting over page, Harry's mouth fell open.

Sirius and Remus exchanged a quick look.

'How did you do?' Sirius asked Harry tentatively.

Wordlessly, Harry passed him his results. Sirius took one look and almost choked on his coffee.

'Harry - wow - this is brilliant!' He beamed at Harry who went a little red, grinning happily. 'Twelve O.W.L.s, how about that, Moony?'

'Very impressive, Harry,' said Remus. 'Well done!'

'Thanks,' said Harry. 'But I still don't think we should have been made to do them right after what happened with Voldemort and everything. I could hardly concentrate.'

'Well, they're still very impressive results,' said Sirius, passing them back. 'We ought to do something to celebrate. How d'you fancy having some friends over? I'll bet they'll want to celebrate their results as well.'

Harry perked up. 'Really? All of them? But what about us being in hiding?'

'I'm sure Dumbledore won't mind if we bend the rules just a _little_,' he said, grinning slyly. 'So what do you say? Big party… Quidditch match out in the field…'

'Hang on a minute, you two,' Remus was looking out of the window. 'We may have to put that thought on hold for a bit.'

'Aw, why?' Sirius looked rather disappointed.

The answer to that flew into the kitchen in a flurry of red and gold feathers. The phoenix fluttered down onto the table, its beady black eyes darting between Sirius and Remus. It warbled a few urgent notes of phoenix song and lifted a wing to reveal the package it was carrying.

Remus quickly relieved the bird of its load. Harry reached up and stroked the swan-like birds' slender neck. The phoenix settled down, folding its wings comfortably. Remus extracted a letter from the package and opened it, reading aloud.

__

To all members of the Order,

Your presence is requested immediately at the Hall of Light for an emergency meeting.

The package you have just received contains a Portkey. At nine a.m. precisely it will activate and bring you directly to the Hall.

With regards

Albus Dumbledore

'What's going on? What's happened?' asked Harry anxiously.

'We'll find out when we get there,' said Sirius. He stood up and checked his watch. 'Right, we've got half an hour. Harry, soon as you've finished eating go upstairs and get ready to go. Remus -'

'I'll check the wards,' Remus said promptly, taking his wand out of his belt.

'I'd better go and let Buckbeak and Trold out into the paddock before we leave. They're probably kicking the stable door down.' Sirius muttered, heading out the back door.

Buckbeak was a grey Hippogriff that had aided Sirius' escape from Hogwarts and the Dementors a few years ago. The animal had become extremely tame towards Sirius, so much so that the customary bow to gain a Hippogriffs approval could be disregarded.

Trold, on the other hand, was a handsome chestnut winged horse whom Remus had taken on a few months ago. He was very temperamental and so far would only allow Remus to ride him.

Harry wolfed down the rest of his bacon, eggs and toast and hurried back upstairs to change out of his pyjamas, wondering what the big emergency was.

As a newly initiated member of the Order of the Phoenix, Harry still had a lot to learn about how they operated. He was aware that Professor Dumbledore, who was in effect their leader, had many spies and contacts keeping their eyes and ears open for any sign of Dark Activity.

Sirius and Remus had been members of the Order since Voldemorts first rise to power and had resumed their active duties now that he was back.

Their main task right now was ensuring Harry's safety. Harry was strictly forbidden to leave the property by himself, which meant he was rather cut off from his friends. They'd been keeping in touch by owl-post but it just wasn't the same as visiting the Burrow and seeing them all again.

But since Ron and Hermione had also been initiated into the Order, Harry could hardly wait to get to the meeting to be able to see them. Along with Ron's little sister Ginny, his elder twin brothers Fred and George and a number of their fellow Gryffindors, they would be the youngest members at the meeting.

Pulling on jeans and a T-shirt, Harry tried to run a comb through his hair without success. Jet-black and completely untameable, it insisted on sticking up in all directions as normal. Harry rummaged through his wardrobe and pulled out his official Phoenix robes. Fiery reds and golds shimmered over the soft material like it was on fire. A small emblem of a phoenix rising from the flames was displayed on the chest. 

Harry stood for a minute in front of the full-length mirror beside the wardrobe, wondering what his parents would think of him if they could see him. His gaze drifted to a number of photos on wall. His mother and father waved at him, smiling happily. Harry smiled sadly back, then looked round for his shoes.

'Harry, come on! Two minutes!' Sirius shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

'Okay, I'm coming!' 

Harry shoved his feet into his shoes and hastened out of the room, taking the stairs two at a time.

Sirius and Remus were in the kitchen, both in their Phoenix robes. The messenger phoenix sat perched on Remus' shoulder. Sirius opened up the package and pulled out a bright yellow rubber glove.

'All right, everyone hold on,'

Sirius held out the glove. Remus and Harry both took hold of a finger, all eyes on the kitchen clock, counting down the seconds. 

The moment the clock struck nine, the Portkey was activated and they disappeared.

*

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To Be Continued

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Please review. All comments and constructive criticism are appreciated.

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	2. The Hall of Light

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Chapter Two; The Hall of Light

The central meeting place for the Order of the Phoenix had become known as the Hall of Light. Harry had been there only once before for the formality of the Initiation Ceremony. He and all the other Gryffindors had been given official recognition as active members of the Order. Some of them had recently completed their seventh year of education at Hogwarts and could participate in the Orders more demanding activities.

The entire group had been sworn to complete secrecy. If the Ministry of Magic became aware of the Orders existence it was too much to hope for that they would not interfere and expose them. Not to mention that several known Death Eaters were employed among the Ministry. Secrecy and security were paramount to the Orders purpose.

Similar to Harry's new home, the Hall of Light was (according to Hermione anyway,) Unplottable, in addition to having the most powerful Concealment Charms ever devised placed upon it. Members came and went by confidentially issued Portkeys. A specially trained flock of messenger phoenixes were used to distribute them, along with individual assignments and instructions. They were possessed of the ability to disappear and reappear at will, making them exceptionally difficult to intercept and ultimately more reliable than owls.

As Sirius, Harry and Remus suddenly appeared out of thin air in the centre of the lobby, the phoenix took wing, flying off through an archway to their right, presumably back to its aviary.

The lobby strongly reminded Harry of the Entrance Hall at Hogwarts Castle, at least in terms of size. It was huge. But, unlike Hogwarts, it was exquisitely decorated. 

A magnificent chandelier was suspended high above their heads. The marble floor was white and gold, so highly polished that it was like standing on a mirror. The walls were decorated with beautiful works of art; unicorns running through ocean waves; dragons soaring effortlessly through raging storms; a moonlit forest with a silver-grey werewolf howling to the moon from the edge of a waterfall and a phoenix singing for joy as it burst forth from a blazing fire atop a mountain peak. 

Exotic plants spilled out of beautiful vases. Flowers of every shape and size bloomed in all the colours of the rainbow. Harry's attention was quickly drawn to a sparkling arrangement of lilies that looked as though they were made of fine crystal.

A plumb, dark-haired man in his late forties, dressed in pure white robes came bustling out of an ivy covered archway, fumbling with a long roll of parchment and adjusting his reading glasses. He looked up at Sirius, Remus and Harry, his face splitting into a relieved smile.

'Ah, right on time! Excellent…' He took a violet quill from behind his ear and ran it down the list. 'Let me see, now … Mr Sirius Black, Mr Remus Lupin and Mr Harry Potter, all present and correct.'

He ticked their names off with a flourish beaming at them. 'Not everyone has arrived yet but if you'll just make your way through those double doors there, you'll find the others are congregating in the courtyard.'

'Cheers Claud,' said Sirius, handing over their Portkey. 'Could you tell me if the Weasley's have arrived yet? Or Miss Hermione Granger?'

Harry turned at the questions, immediately pulling himself away from the lilies.

Claud shoved his glasses back up his nose, squinting at the list, muttering. 'Weasley … Weasley … Ah, yes, here they are. They arrived ten minutes ago; they'll be in the courtyard. But Miss Granger has yet to arrive … she has the ten past nine Portkey I believe, so she won't be long. Shall I inform Miss Granger when she arrives that you are looking for her?'

'Thanks Claud, that would be great.'

Moving out of the way so that the next member could arrive safely, Sirius led the way through the double doors into a long corridor lined with numerous suits of armour, the helmets swivelling round to look straight ahead as they entered.

A set of glass doors half way down opened out into the courtyard. A rumble of voices could be heard outside. Stepping through the doors, Harry scanned the crowd, quickly spotting a group of several red heads standing next to the fountain in the centre. As Harry neared the crowd, many stepped back respectfully to allow him through. Mr and Mrs Weasley, along with five of their seven children, looked splendid in their Phoenix robes. Their flaming red hair gave the impression that they were enveloped in fire.

Mrs Weasley began fussing over Harry at once, asking how he was, whether he was enjoying living with his godfather and how he'd done in his exams. Ron had also achieved twelve O.W.L.s of which he was extremely proud, though at the cost of relentless teasing from Fred and George.

Harry was a little surprised to see that Bill, the eldest Weasley brother, was present but not Percy or Charlie.

'Percy couldn't get away from the office,' Mr Weasley explained when Harry inquired about this. 'Keeping an eye on some … ahem … unsavoury characters,' he added, lowering his voice unnecessarily.

'Any idea what the meeting's about, Arthur?' asked Remus.

Mr Weasley shook his head, looking baffled. 'Not a clue. But Albus did insist on Bill attending, said he may provide some valuable assistance later on, but he wouldn't say any more than that.'

'Hmm, I wonder why.' Said Remus thoughtfully. 'Bill's a Curse-Breaker, is he not?'

'Hermione!'

Ron waved over the heads of the crowd as Hermione stepped out into the courtyard. Smiling, she waved back and slipped quickly through the crowd to join them.

'Hello everyone,' she said brightly. 'Does anyone know what's going on?'

'Nope,' said Ron. 'Did you get your O.W.L results? Oh, wait, let me guess … thirty O.W.L.s, am I right?'

'No,' said Hermione, loftily. 'For your information, I only took twelve.'

'What? You didn't try to do _more_?' Ron looked shocked and grabbed her by the shoulders. 'Who are you and what have you done with Hermione?' 

Hermione shook him off. 'Ha ha,' she said blandly. 'Very funny.'

A loud bell rang out across the courtyard. Everyone turned as Claud stood up in front of a set of tall white doors, waving for quiet.

'If I could have everyone's attention, please? Thank you. If you'd like to take your places in the Hall, the meeting will begin shortly.'

The doors behind him swung open. The members of the Order quickly filed in without a word.

The Hall of Light was composed of flawless white marble; tall columns around the room supported the domed ceiling which had been enchanted to show a clear azure sky with an occasional fluffy white cloud drifting slowly overhead. A magnificent round table stood in the centre of the Hall. At least thirty tall, beautifully crafted golden chairs with red velvet cushions were evenly spread around the table.

Many of the Order quickly took their places. As Harry approached one, the chair slid out from under the table of its own accord. Harry stepped in front of it, eyeing the chair cautiously. Slowly, it moved back towards the table and Harry was able to sit down, the chair pushing him up to the table.

Sirius took a seat on Harry's left and Hermione on his right with Ron and the rest of the Weasley's seated beyond her. Remus sat down on Sirius' other side next to an elderly witch Harry recognised as Arabella Figg. She had been Harry's neighbour while he'd been with the Dursley's. Arabella's job had been to keep watch over Harry while he grew up but posing as a Muggle so as not to draw attention to herself or Harry.

Also present were a number of the Hogwarts staff; McGonagall, Sprout, Flitwick and -

Snape.

Harry's eyes widened. He elbowed Hermione in the ribs and pointed. Hermione blinked hard, stared, looked back at Harry and shrugged. What on earth was Snape doing here? He looked out of place somehow, even though he wore Phoenix robes like everybody else. But since when was Snape a member of the Order?

But Harry was distracted by the arrival of Luke Mossfield and Phoebe Galway, two of the Gryffindors that had helped Harry during Voldemorts attack on Hogwarts. Recently graduated, they were now both in training to become Aurors.

Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell took seats opposite Harry and waved. They too had just left Hogwarts and were working closely with the Order, although details of their work were completely unknown to Harry.

Last to arrive was Neville Longbottom, who quickly threw himself into the last empty seat beside Mundungus Fletcher. Gus was a tall, gruff looking middle-aged wizard with a shaggy grey beard whom Harry had met at the Initiation. From what Harry had heard of him, Gus had been in trouble with the Ministry on numerous occasions for a variety of offences, including dangerous experimental charms and Muggle baiting. Sirius had once referred to Gus as being something of a loose canon with an army officer attitude and the cunning of a fox. But right now, like everyone else in the room, Gus simply looked anxious, impatient for the meeting to begin. 

Thankfully they were not kept in suspense for much longer.

Albus Dumbledore swiftly entered the Hall, dressed in the same beautiful fiery robes as the others, with Fawkes, his pet phoenix, perched on his shoulder and Claud trotting at his heels (fumbling with his parchment notes).

He took his place at the head of the table, his cool blue eyes regarding each of them in turn. He looked unusually sombre.

'Thank you all for coming so quickly,' he began. 'As you are already aware, we have an emergency. A very dangerous situation has been brought to my attention and we have very little time in which to deal with it, so I will be blunt.

'Voldemort is planning on sending a Death Eater back in time … on a mission of assassination.'

The tension in the room rose sharply yet no one said a word. All eyes were on Dumbledore, waiting for more.

'The Death Eater will be embarking on his mission in a matter of hours-'

'Well, what are we waiting for? What are we going to do about stopping him?' Gus demanded impatiently, his moustache quivering. 

'Hold your horses, Gus,' said Arabella, sternly. She looked back to Dumbledore. 'Albus, what do we know of the Dark Lords plans?'

'Only that the assassin will leave very soon with the intention of altering the past.' He said gravely.

'But what of his target?' Mr Weasley asked. 'Or the time which he intends to change?'

Dumbledore sighed heavily. 

__

'That, I'm afraid, is unknown.'

There was a moment's silence.

'So what you're saying is that we _don't know_ what we're supposed to do about this?' demanded Gus, angrily.

'Of course we do,' insisted Molly Weasley firmly. 'We must go after him, protect the target -'

__

'But we don't even know who it is!'

' … and stop the Death Eater from changing the past.' Molly glared hard at Gus, daring him to contradict her.

'She's right,' said Vanessa Sprout, nodding. 'What else can we do?'

'We can't go meddling with time,' said Minerva McGonagall coldly, as though the idea was ludicrous. 'Is no one else here aware that to alter the past is against our most important Laws? The Order is not a renegade band of vigilantes. We have no right to take the law into our own hands and mess with time.'

'Yes, why don't you just go and inform this assassin of these _laws_,' Vanessa replied, sarcastically. 'I'm sure once you've cleared _that_ up with him, he'll realise he shouldn't be playing such games and we'll have nothing to worry about!'

Filius Flitwick spoke up, quickly overriding Minerva's next comment.

'We can't just sit here and do nothing. If he succeeds in killing whoever this target is, it could have numerous effects on the future, on _our_ time! Think about it, he could change time so that the Dark Lord is able to take control, to wipe out the Order of the Phoenix, to destroy those who would oppose him in _our_ time.'

'But we are not supposed to be there!' cried Phoebe. 'Okay, say we _did _send some people after the assassin … anything _we_ do could have the same consequences! Can we really take that kind of responsibility? To risk causing the same kind of damage that you're saying we must prevent?'

'And what if we _don't_ do anything?' said Gus. 'We simply allow this assassin to get his man? That has just as many consequences and responsibilities. Come on, Albus! You know we ought to at least try!'

'We can't meddle with time.' Minerva repeated stubbornly. 'It's far too complicated.'

'Too late.' Sirius spoke up. 'It's already being messed with.' He looked around at the rest of the Order. 'Look, whoever this target is must to be important to Voldemort in some way. We _have _to go after the assassin, regardless of the laws.'

'Two wrongs do not make a right, Sirius.'

'And since when is preserving someone's life a 'wrong'? Is it not our duty to protect people lives, whoever they may be? I say it's worth the risk.'

The members continued to argue; some insisting that time should be left well alone and others saying that they ought to go after the assassin and stop him before time became corrupted.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat quietly, listening with rapt attention. Personally, Harry was not thrilled with the idea of allowing a Death Eater to get on with his mission when they could do something to stop it.

Dumbledore sat back in his chair, ice-blue eyes darting from one person to the next as they explained their reasons for whichever viewpoint they supported, listening carefully.

Arthur Weasley butted in as the conversation started going in circles.

'Look, whatever we decide we'd better do it soon,' he said evenly. 'While we sit here arguing, that assassin could be on his way.'

Everyone immediately looked to Dumbledore. He looked thoughtfully round at them all.

'Perhaps we can put it to the vote, would that be fair?' he asked coolly. 

The Order exchanged brief looks and nods in agreement.

'Very well. All those in favour of sending someone back in time after the Death Eater, please raise your hand.'

Gus and Sirius quickly put their hands up. Molly, Arthur and Vanessa followed suit, Filius Flitwick a moment later. Then Harry raised his hand along with Ron, Hermione, Bill, Fred, George, Neville, and Alicia. Severus Snape also put up his hand. After a few more moments of consideration, Remus, too, raised his hand.

'It is decided then,' said Dumbledore. 'We shall proceed.'

'Um, Albus?' Molly raised her hand again, tentatively. 'I couldn't help but notice you saying that we would send some_one_ back in time?'

Dumbledore nodded.

'Just the one. This is because -' he raised his voice to speak over the sudden spate of confused whispers that had broken out. 'We would need to follow the Death Eater _directly_ as he goes back in time. Since we are unaware of the exact location, we need to intercept the magic that will take him there. It is immensely complex; the slightest thing could go wrong. It would be exceptionally dangerous to risk more than one person, the spell would almost certainly fail.'

'So,' said Gus, folding his arms. 'Who's the lucky Phoenix that gets to go?'

'Ah, yes; now before anyone volunteers, there are some individuals who I must insist on remaining here. Bill Weasley.'

Bill sat up straighter.

'I will require your expertise in Curse-Breaking to intercept the Death Eaters spell when he activates it. Alicia, Katie, I will need you both here as well.'

The two girls nodded, obediently.

'Minerva, Vanessa, Filius, I need the three of you to open the gateway and support a communications link between the two time periods, I don't want our Phoenix to be completely on their own without a means of assistance or a way to get back home.'

McGonagall, Sprout and Flitwick also conceded to their duties. Dumbledore turned to the remaining members.

'The rest of you are free to volunteer. But I must remind you all that this task is not to be entered lightly. You must be ever alert for the assassin and identify the target before he or she comes to harm. Rash decisions, impulsive actions could jeopardise the entire structure of the timeline. That _must_ be avoided at _all _costs. If you feel that you may not be able to cope the demands of this assignment, I ask you not to volunteer.'

There were a few moments of silence. Gus shifted uncomfortably. Harry thought he looked disappointed but resigned, maybe admitting to himself that he shouldn't put himself forward for this. Sirius had his head bowed, deep in thought.

Arabella spoke up first. 'I'm afraid I would be of no use on a mission of this sort,' she admitted heavily. 'I'm just too old to go running around after some young troublemaker. Sirius?'

Sirius looked up.

'Perhaps you would be a more suitable choice?'

'No,' he said firmly, though with obvious reluctance. 'Like Albus said, rash and impulsive? Were they not the trademarks of my youth? And with my temper I'd probably end up doing something really disastrous without meaning to, but then it'll be too late to undo any damage.' He shook his head. 'I'm not the one to go.'

Sirius turned to Remus, but his friend interrupted him before he could get a word out.

'I can't go.' 

'Why not?' asked Sirius. 'You're the least likely person to do anything rash. You could probably figure out who the target is and with your knowledge of the Dark Arts and Defence spells, you'd be the best choice, Remus.'

Remus just looked up at Sirius with shadowed eyes.

Slowly, comprehension slid over Sirius' features.

'Oh. Yeah. Right.'

Gus and several others exchanged confused looks.

Remus sighed.

'We have no idea what time the Death Eater is returning to.' He said evenly. 'If I were to go back and find that the lunar calendar has scheduled a full moon for the coming night I would not be of any use whatsoever.'

'But what about the Wolfsbane Potion?' asked Arabella encouragingly.

'I have to take several doses over the week that proceeds the full moon. There is not enough time and multiple doses would have no effect. Ultimately, I would not be able to control my wolf form.'

'The wolf has a point,' Snape sneered unpleasantly, earning him some disapproving glares, all of which he ignored. 'He _is_ too much of a risk.'

'Well then Sev, since _you're _so eager to volunteer…' Sirius left the challenge hanging, glaring furiously at the Potions Master, a blazing light in his eyes.

Severus returned the glare with equal dislike.

'I am needed here.' He stated coldly.

Sirius looked quickly to Dumbledore who nodded slowly. Sirius folded his arms, still looking angrily at Snape.

'So who's left then? Molly? Arthur?'

But they, too, quickly declined. 

'Perhaps one of the young ones should go?' suggested Bill. He looked over at Harry, Ron, and Hermione as he spoke. 'You three have had plenty of experience in dealing with these sorts of situations.'

'Hey, we can't go sending kids!' said Gus. 

'Why not?'

'Because - Because this is a _very _delicate situation -'

'So you don't think they could handle it?' Bill asked coolly. 

Gus' moustache bristled.

'I don't see how _any_ child could cope with it. It's dangerous for one thing. Besides, what could they possibly do that an experienced Phoenix can't? They haven't had any sort of training yet!'

Harry, Ron and Hermione all exchanged a look, feeling rather offended. How could they not be able to cope? Hermione had had the use of a Time Turner a few years ago, she was more than aware of the risks involved with time manipulation than anyone and therefore unlikely to do anything to risk altering it. Surely that alone made her a suitable candidate for this.

Ron possessed a brilliant strategic mind. Had he not got them through that giant chess game that guarded the Philosophers stone during their first year? He'd figured out where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was, and the following year he had stood up to Sirius, even though he believed him to be a bloodthirsty murderer at the time, while trying to defend his best friend. Ron would be able to figure who the target was in no time and was quite capable of confronting a Death Eater if necessary. 

And Harry, well, he was The Boy Who Lived after all. Had he not faced off with the Dark Lord several times? Battled a Basilisk, Dementors and Death Eaters? Had he not made it through the Triwizard Tournament, a highly dangerous contest designed to put young wizards' skills and prowess against danger to the test? 

And Gus didn't think that _any_ of them were potential candidates for this mission? 

Maybe Dumbledore noticed their irritation because he said evenly, 'I think that before we rule them out, perhaps we should ask their opinion first.'

Everyone looked round at the three young adults. Harry looked nervously at Sirius, unable to read the expression on his face. Ron and Hermione both seemed to be waiting for Harry to speak first.

Harry cleared his throat and looked directly at Dumbledore.

'Sir, I'd like to volunteer for this mission.'

'Me too,' said Ron.

'And me,' said Hermione.

Harry was relived to see Dumbledore smile. Gus, however, didn't look particularly pleased. 

Sirius leaned over and whispered in Harry's ear.

'Harry, you don't _have_ to volunteer, I know Gus can be a bit of a git but-'

'Sirius, I want to volunteer!' Harry hissed back. 'What's the point of me being a Phoenix if I back down from every situation you guys have to deal with? Besides, only _one_ of us can go. It doesn't _have _to be me.'

Sirius still didn't look happy about it, but he didn't say anything more.

'Are there any more volunteers?' Dumbledore asked the gathering. No one spoke up. He beckoned to Harry, Ron and Hermione. 'Please stand up.' 

They did as they were told, ignoring a few looks of scepticism. Arabella gave them an encouraging smile. Dumbledore held out his arm and Fawkes hopped off his shoulder to perch on his forearm, his beady black eyes staring directly at Harry, Ron and Hermione.

'As only one of you three will be able to go, the fairest way of deciding is to allow Fawkes to choose. A phoenix can identify the traits you possess and determine which of you will be most likely to succeed.' 

Fawkes spread his wings and flew over the table without a sound to hover in the air in front of them. Then, he burst into song. The beautiful, eerie music reverberated through the Hall, through each of the members and then seemed to centre on Harry, Ron and Hermione. 

'State your names.' Dumbledore ordered, his voice sounding distant and faint.

Fawkes turned and stared deep into Harry's emerald green eyes.

'Harry James Potter.' He heard himself say. His voice seemed to echo slightly, like his hearing was trying to focus only on the phoenix song and nothing else.

For a brief second, the eyes of the phoenix glowed a bright green, a reflection of Harry's. Gracefully the bird slowly turned to look at Hermione and then Ron.

'Hermione Granger.'

'Ronald Weasley.'

Each time, their eyes seemed to stare back at them from the phoenix, all the time piping its eerie song. Fawkes fluttered back from them, closed his eyes and bowed his noble head. Harry couldn't take his eyes off the bird even if he wanted too. The music changed slightly, repeating a few notes in quick succession, like it was calling for something … someone. 

Suddenly Harry felt something stir, deep within him, a strange warmth, pulsing in time with the music, like the song of the phoenix was being echoed from inside him. Fawkes opened his eyes, turned, spread his wings and soared towards Harry to settle comfortably on his shoulder. The song faded away into silence and Harry turned to see Dumbledore's cool blue eyes sparkling at him.

'The Phoenix has been chosen.'

*

****

To Be Continued

*

**__**

Please review. All comments and constructive criticism are appreciated.


	3. Breaking Through

****

Chapter Three; Breaking Through

In a small dark room off the Hall of Light, Harry sat fidgeting nervously, waiting for his godfather to return. As soon as Harry had been chosen Dumbledore had asked Sirius for a private word, presumably to make sure that he was okay with his godson running off on his very first mission for the Order. The look on his face suggested that he wasn't.

Remus had swiftly lead Harry off to this small side room. Harry was glad to leave the Hall, to be out of sight for a bit. The sceptic looks from some of the members had been quite unsettling. The little room was simply furnished with a table and a few chairs. An oil painting depicting a Greek temple hung on the wall. A number of small white candles floated in mid air, glowing brightly. Harry sat down, his stomach churning a little as the full implications of the task ahead suddenly caught up with him.

'Harry? Are you feeling all right?' asked Remus gently, sitting down beside him.

Harry gave a nod. 

'Are you sure? You look very pale.'

'Just a bit nervous.' Harry admitted reluctantly. 

He didn't want to lie to Remus but he didn't want to admit that he wasn't certain if he'd done the right thing either. Was he really up to this? Like Gus said, this was a highly delicate mission and a dangerous one at that. Could Harry honestly cope on his own? Now that he'd had a minute to think about it, everything he'd ever done, he'd done with a friend at his side. He'd depended on them in numerous situations. The thought that he was going to be alone for this one made him feel rather sick.

Perhaps his thoughts had shown on his face. Remus twirled his wand and a glass of water appeared on the table in front of Harry. He gratefully accepted it, taking a sip. The cool liquid seemed to ease the butterflies in his stomach for a moment as Harry tried to get a grip on his thoughts.

Someone knocked softly on the door. The door was opened slowly and Claud stuck his head in.

'Mr Lupin? Mr Dumbledore would like a few words with you, if you'd be so kind?'

Remus nodded and stood up.

'Harry, I want you to stay here, okay? And try not to get too worried about it, you'll be fine.'

Harry managed a small smile and as Remus stepped out. Claud gave Harry a cheery smile.

'Anything I can get you, Mr Potter?'

'No, I'm fine thanks,' 

Claud backed slowly out of the room. 'If you need anything at all, I'm right outside. Just give a shout.' 

And then he was gone.

Harry chided himself. Remus was right; of course he'd be fine. Besides, it wasn't as though he could chicken out now. He'd been chosen, the one most likely to succeed. What would everyone say if he suddenly backed out? Surely such an act was the cowards way out. He was a Gryffindor after all, a member of the House of the Brave. This mission was his responsibility now. He _had_ to see it through. 

Now having convinced himself, Harry's thoughts moved on to Sirius. How was he taking this? Was he angry with Harry for volunteering? What if he insisted that Harry stayed here and allowed someone else to go in his place? Would he be allowed to do that? 

After what seemed like an age, the door opened again and Sirius came in, accompanied by Remus and Dumbledore. Harry quickly stood up, trying to discern his godfather's expression. His dark brown eyes regarding him thoughtfully.

'Think you're ready for this?' he asked evenly.

Cautiously, Harry nodded.

Sirius exchanged a look with Remus, who gave a small nod in Harry's direction. Sirius took a deep breath and Harry quickly braced himself.

'Well, just so that you know, Harry, I'm not entirely happy with this particular mission being your first … but I guess every Phoenix has to start flying by themselves sometime.' He gave Harry a small smile.

'So … you're not mad at me?' Harry asked tentatively, wondering why the expected lecture wasn't forthcoming.

Sirius looked confused.

'What ever gave you that idea? Why would I be mad at you?'

'Well, you didn't want me to volunteer … and I just thought … that you might … um…'

Sirius gripped Harry's shoulders firmly. Harry looked anxiously up into his godfather's face. 

'Harry, I'm not mad at you - I'm _worried_ about you. Yes, I know you can take care of yourself, you've proved it more times than I can count … but I'm always going to worry about you, whether you like it or not.'

Harry grinned, wondering if he should say that he more than liked it. It was still such a new feeling to him, the sensation of knowing that someone cared so much for him that they'd worry about him like this; the way a parent would.

'Really?' he asked stupidly, feeling immensely relieved.

'Of course. As a parental figure it's pretty much compulsory, isn't it?'

Harry stepped forward as Sirius drew him into a hug, ruffling his hair fondly.

'Come on, you've got to get ready.'

Harry nodded, pulled away from Sirius, and turned to Dumbledore. 

'When do I leave?' he asked, surprised at how calm he suddenly sounded.

'The portal is being prepared this very minute, it shouldn't take very long,' said Dumbledore. 'But we are running short of time so I want you to listen to me _very_ carefully.' His voice took on a tone of such grave importance that Harry felt a chill run up his spine. 

'Your mission is to discover who the intended target is and protect them, nothing more. I am not expecting you to unmask the assassin for it is extremely unlikely that he, or she, will reveal their presence except when in the act of striking their target, and even then it is not a sure thing. The assassin may use any manner of weapon; a curse, poison, arrange an 'accident' of some kind … you will not know until they strike. So on no account are you to try and hunt them down, _you will not succeed_. Do you understand me, Harry?'

Harry nodded. 'Yes, Sir,' he said. And he meant it. He honestly had no desire to hunt down a professional killer. Acting as a bodyguard certainly seemed the better and safer option.

Dumbledore went on. 

'To ensure that no one sees you, we will supply you with an Invisibility Cloak. You must wear it at all times. I trust you understand the implications should anyone see you?'

Harry understood perfectly. It was very lucky that neither he nor Hermione had been seen during their foray with a Time Turner a few years back. Well, technically, Harry _had_ been seen, but only by his past self, and even then he'd not realised who the distant figure had been. Luckily, that had had no dire consequences.

'As an added precaution, you will have the use of a broomstick. Since we can not guarantee where the portal will open, we must consider the possibility that you may need to get yourself out of danger as fast as possible.

'Now, when we receive word of the assassins departure, the Order will intercept the time-portal that he has created, opening a second gateway which will allow you to step in behind him and follow his path directly, in effect, 'piggybacking' a ride. You will need only to relax and allow the portal to carry you to the assassin's destination. At whatever point in time that he arrives, you will emerge approximately two minutes later. We have devised this time-delay as a safety precaution. It would not do for you to bump into the assassin the moment you break through.

'We are working on ensuring the portal's stability, to keep it open once you are through. As soon as you are able to return you simply have to go back to where you entered the timeline and pass on through, clear?'

'Yes, Sir.' It sounded simple enough; just go back the way you came in. Shame it was starting to sound like the only thing that was.

'Should you feel the need for advice, you will be able to contact the Order. It is possible to set up a temporary link between the two timelines. It works to a similar basis as the portals but you must only use it to speak with us. Do _not_ attempt to use the link to pass through back to this timeline. Others have tried to use it in travelling through time and without success. They have either become trapped within the portal with no means of escape, or have simply disappeared without trace. None have been found alive.'

Harry's stomach did an unpleasant flip. 

'Remus will teach you the spell required for the link, I doubt you will any difficulties with it. And Harry, I want you to contact the Order as soon as you have reached your destination to let us know that you are all right and I expect you to keep us informed of any developments.'

Harry insisted that he would do so, trying not to appear too apprehensive.

'Good. Now, I must go and see to the preparations. We will fetch you when we are ready.'

Harry watched him go, wondering if he hadn't just jumped in at the deep end without having a clue how to swim. 

'Harry?' Sirius put a hand on his shoulder. 'You sure you're okay with this?'

'Yes … but … was Dumbledore serious about no one being found alive?'

'As far as I know, yes. The odd body has been found, just never on the correct timeline.'

Harry stared.

'But you don't have to worry about that Harry,' said Remus firmly. 'Because you are not going to misuse this spell. Now, we probably don't have very long so if you'll just get your wand out we can begin…'

*

In the depths of the Dark Lords stronghold, Seth Corbeau sat crossed-legged on the floor of his private chambers, deep in meditation. Clearing his mind of everything but focused on the task ahead, he was nevertheless alert and wary. His senses reached out into his surroundings in a way that only a highly trained and experienced assassin could understand. He was acutely aware of even the slightest disturbance in the airflow around him; the soft distant sounds in the maze of passages outside his door, the subtle fragrance of burning wood and ashes from the crackling fire behind him. 

A sharp knock sounded on the thick oak door. Noiselessly, it swung open. A tall, slender Death Eater strode into the room, her high-heeled boots clacking loudly on the stone floor. The hood hung low over her face, obscuring her features. She stopped abruptly in the centre of the room, standing to attention, then bowing deeply.

'Sir, the portal is ready.' She informed him stiffly.

Seth did not move. 

'Sir?'

Cautiously, the Death Eater moved a step closer. Had he not heard her? She repeated her statement, but once again there was no reaction.

The black candles burning on elaborate stands on either side of him sent flickering shadows dancing across his deathly pale skin. His eyes were thrown into darkness, making his face appear to be nothing more than a hollow skull. Peering at his chest, the Death Eater detected no movement. Was he breathing still?

Slowly, she edged near, reaching out a hand to touch his shoulder.

The eyes snapped open. The pupils, as black as the darkest night, stared directly into her own. The deep amber irises that encircled them shone with malevolence; the gaze of a predator, hungry for the kill.

Terrified, the Death Eater jerked back, but froze as a cool blade was suddenly pressed up against her throat.

'I do not like to be disturbed,' said Seth quietly, staring off into space, ignoring the young woman's frightened whimper. 'Meditation allows time for strengthening powers of concentration. You wouldn't want me to lose my focus now, would you?'

'No.' the Death Eater whispered, trying not to move her throat. The shining blade pressed harder against her jugular. A thin line of bright red appeared across her neck. The blood slowly trickled down her neck, a few drops staining the edge of the razor sharp blade.

Raising a hand, Seth rose effortlessly from the floor. The silver dagger shot away from her throat. In an instant, Seth had plucked it out of the air and hidden it away within the deep folds of his robes.

Shaking with fear, the Death Eater drew back and bowed deeply as the assassin glided out of the chamber, as silent as death itself.

*

'That's it, Harry, that's much better.'

Harry was feeling pretty pleased with himself having mastered the communications spell after only five attempts. Sirius was looking particularly impressed, both at Harry's rapid accomplishment and Remus' aptitude for teaching.

'No wonder everyone says you were the best Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Hogwarts has had in years.' He said, admirably.

'Considering how the rest of them turned out, I don't think I had much in the way of competition,' said Remus coolly, but looking very pleased nonetheless as Harry demonstrated the Link Spell again without a single flaw.

'Remember Harry, you can use any type of reflective surface, just use whatever is available to you.'

Harry was feeling a bit better now. Concentrating on learning the spell had had the added benefit of distracting his thoughts from the mission. 

There came a sharp tap on the door and Claud came bustling in, his round face shining with anticipation.

'It is time,' he said, breathlessly.

Sirius and Remus exchanged a sombre look. Harry's mind seemed to have gone blank all of a sudden, which was probably a blessing. He wasn't sure if he would be able to follow through with this if anything dared to distract him now. Sirius laid a comforting hand on his shoulder as they returned to the Hall.

The table and chairs had vanished, leaving a large open space. Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout and Arabella Figg were standing in the centre, encircling what appeared to be a floating mass of light and shadow, their wands sending narrow jets of silver-white light flying around it, holding it there. Harry stared at it as the sphere pulsed and writhed. Flashes of colour faded in and out of sight at its centre. It flared an angry red, as its four attendants fought to keep it there, like it was trying to break free and escape.

Standing before the strange orb, was Bill Weasley. Wand directed at the centre, his face etched with concentration, he was chanting several complex spells under his breath, watching the orb's reaction closely as fine wisps of smoke furled out of his wand, drifting lazily through the air, passing close to the edge of the sphere.

Claud led Harry over to where Dumbledore, Gus and Mr Weasley were waiting for him.

'Not much longer,' said Gus, nodding in Bill's direction. 'As soon as that young Curse-Breaker has established a connection, we can send you on your way.'

Harry gratefully accepted the broomstick Gus handed him. A Nimbus 2000. Harry ran his hands down the smooth handle, remembering his own Nimbus, his very first broom.

Mr Weasley then gave him an Invisibility Cloak, almost identical to his own Cloak. Swinging it round his shoulders, Harry's body vanished from sight, leaving only his neck and head floating in mid-air.

'Sir!' Bill cried out urgently from across the room, turning to Dumbledore. 'The Portal is about to open.'

*

A series of blinding flashes pierced the darkness, flooding the chamber with an explosion of colour as the very fabric of time and space was torn.

Magic charged the air, almost thick enough to choke on. More than a dozen Death Eaters battled to contain the rift. One had already fallen to his knees, drained of his strength.

Slowly, the portal expanded; a vague boundary of where it hovered shimmered like a glowing mist. A bolt of pure white lightning shot across the surface of the rift.

Seth Corbeau stood calmly before it, hunger and anticipation in his eyes.

The hunt was about to begin.

In the blink of an eye, the assassin had vanished, and a raven took to the air, flying straight into the heart of the time storm.

*

Every nerve in Harry's body was jangling as the portal took shape. The vibrant array of colour, swirling like a whirlpool, sent fantastic rays of light dancing throughout the Hall. Beautiful as it was, the four attendants were giving it all they had to stabilise the gateway.

Sirius and Remus were standing well back, watching with bated breath. Ron and Hermione stood beside them, trying desperately to mask their concern and fear as Harry moved towards the portal.

Swinging a leg over the Nimbus, Harry rose into the air, hovering five feet from the floor, arranging the cloak so that it hung over the broom. Everything but his head was invisible. Nervous as he was, he turned and managed a small smile and a wave to his friends. Sirius smiled like he was not worried in the slightest, but his eyes betrayed him. Remus alone seemed to be keeping his concerns well hidden. But it was for Harry's benefit, and he was glad of it.

With a sudden shout, Bill had sent a blinding jet of white light into the portal - it glowed - the colour swirling madly - a tremendous roar of wind surged through the Hall, forcing everyone back a pace. The gateway was open.

Pulling the hood up over his head, Harry kicked the Nimbus forward and shot through the gateway. The light flared - and he was gone.

*

A blur of colour and shapes surged past Harry, so fast that he felt like he would be swept off the broomstick if he lost his grip. Clutching the handle ever more tightly, he bent his head low against the invisible force that was trying to push him back as the portal forced him on through the intricate web of time.

Squinting through the swirling mass of shadows, Harry thought for a moment that he saw something up ahead, further down the tunnel. Was it a tunnel? It barely had a form … 

A distant glow of a dazzling light shone through the storm. Holding the Nimbus steady, Harry rode the current as it forced him on, straight towards the light.

Harry was struggling to keep his eyes on it. The opposing force was stinging his eyes like an icy wind. The glowing light was suddenly obscured - a dark shape had emerged from the tangle of darkness and colour to pass through the light. Harry's breath caught in his throat. _The assassin?_

Throwing himself flat to the handle, Harry flew like an arrow, straight for the light.

*

A violent jolt rocked Seth's raven form as he broke through the barrier, so violent in fact, that his wings jarred and he nearly blacked out. Refusing to lose focus, Seth allowed himself to fall a few feet before attempting to gain control of his flight. Sunlight struck him hard in the face, blinding him. Then a monstrous black mass rose up in front of him, hurtling towards him at a tremendous speed.

Folding his wings close, Seth dived, still unable to see.

Voices, distant and far below, cried out.

'What's that?'

'Where did that bird come from?'

'Hey, watch out!'

__

Wham!

Something, huge and heavy, slammed into him - pain, excruciating pain wracked his mind. The fragile bird body crumpled, the left wing useless. As the ground rushed up to meet him, Seth heard a voice bellow, _'Accio!'_

An invisible hand snatched Seth out of the air, pulling him across the hazy green blur of grass a few feet below. A pair of human hands caught hold of him.

Darkness was gathering at the edge of his mind.

__

No! Seth thought fiercely, fighting the agony coursing through his body. _I have to complete my task! The target … have to find … the target …_

In a desperate attempt to comply, he forced his wings up, beating them weakly. But someone, the one who'd pulled him out of harms way, wrapped an arm around his small body, restraining his wings, holding the raven form firmly but gently. A hand gently moved over his head and back.

'Hey, calm down,' said a low, soothing voice. 'I'm not going to hurt you.'

Seth carefully lifted his head, blinking hard to clear his hazy vision. He could make out a number of blurry figures gathering around him.

'Is it all right?' Someone leaned closer, peering at him.

'It's not dead, is it?' Another person asked, anxiously.

'No,' said the boy who held him. 'But I think his wing's broken.' The boy was cautiously feeling each wing, stretching them out a little. Pulling one a little too far brought a cry of pain from the raven. Quickly, the boy pinned the bird's wings again and stroked its head to calm it. The bird wearily laid its head on the boy's arm.

A blur of red swam into Seth's vision.

'Maybe Hagrid can help.' The voice was undoubtedly female.

A sudden recollection of the information he'd uncovered for the purpose of this mission, came floating up in his memory as realisation set in.

Had the raven form possessed a human mouth, it would have been smiling.

The hunt was on.

*

Harry shut his eyes tight as he shot through the barrier. A wave of dizziness washed over him. Clutching the Nimbus for support, Harry instantly became aware of the fact that he was high up in the air. A clear blue sky stretched overhead, a blazing sun beaming down on him.

But what caught Harry's attention was the large hoop in front of him. A strangely familiar hoop. Harry dropped his gaze and, with a startled gasp, found himself to be on a Quidditch pitch - the Quidditch pitch at Hogwarts Castle.

Harry hovered for a moment, staring at it. 

Next moment, a large, black Bludger came pelting through the sky in front of him. Harry dived out of the way, heading for the pitch below.

A group of people was standing on the pitch; some of them were clutching broomsticks, all huddled together. Harry quickly searched the sky and the rest of the stadium. He couldn't see anyone else around. Looking a little closer, Harry guessed that the people below were most likely to be students. Some were dressed in Quidditch robes. They must have been practising.

Then a thought occurred to him. Where was the assassin? Was he among those students?

Checking that the cloak was still covering him, Harry swooped down lower as the group started to head for the exit. As he got closer, Harry steered the Nimbus carefully, slowing down so that he was gliding almost effortlessly above and behind the students. 

One of them, a tall, thin boy with light brown hair, detached himself from the group, calling over his shoulder. 

'I won't be long. I'll meet you in the library later, okay?

Another of the boys waved him off.

'Sure, see you later, Moony!'

And Harry froze.

*

****

To Be Continued

*

**__**

Please review. All comments and constructive criticism are appreciated.


	4. Here and Now

****

Chapter Four; Here and Now

Harry's mind had been seized by a complete sense of unreality. This didn't seem real. Not at all. Surely it was nothing more than a dream; he would wake up in a minute.

Any moment now.

The seconds lengthened, and still the figures before him remained solid … real …

Alive.

Some part of Harry's brain was suggesting that what he'd heard was just a fluke - that he'd misheard.

Then the boy right in front of him turned. It was like looking in a mirror. Tall and thin with a mop of jet-black hair that stuck up in all directions and round glasses on a thin face. But the eyes, they were a pale blue, not Harry's own bright green.

There was no mistaking him.

'Dad?'

That one word somehow made it out of Harry's dry mouth. It was barely audible but James Potter glanced back over his shoulder. For a moment his eyes looked straight into Harry's own. But then he turned away, the whisper dismissed as a breath of wind, now turning his attention back to his friends.

They were moving away from him. Mechanically, Harry moved forward, blindly following. His brain was slowly starting to take it in - painfully.

James Potter strode purposely across the pitch, his scarlet Quidditch robes fanning out behind him, idly tossing a Quaffle up in the air with one hand, his broomstick held in the other. 

The other scarlet clad students, his team mates, Harry didn't recognise. But the three other students that had come onto the pitch to walk with them were just as familiar as his father was.

A very pretty girl with dark, curly red hair and emerald green eyes slipped through the others to take James' arm. She gave him a lovely smile, her face shining with admiration.

A tall black haired boy moved to James' other side. His dark eyes were sparkling with mischief and fun. A cheeky grin shone on his handsome face and his laugh rang out merrily as he made a joke about his best friend, making everyone smile.

And tagging along behind them was a short, plump boy with thin, colourless hair, watery eyes and a pointed nose. His sharp eyes darted from one person to the next as they spoke, hanging on to every word.

The four of them emerged from the Quidditch stadium, pulling away from the others who were heading off to the changing rooms. James, with Lily on his arm, turned their steps towards the lake. Sirius, chiding Peter's slowness, urged him to hurry up as he and the other two broke into a run, racing each other for the lake's edge.

Feeling as though a dam in his chest was about to burst, Harry bolted across the lawn, skirting around the border of the Forbidden Forest, running for the shelter of a secluded cove by the water's edge. Mind buzzing, he forced his way through the thick tangle of bushes and ducked down behind a mass of water reeds growing in the shallows. No more than fifty feet away, the Marauders had settled themselves on a grassy slope overlooking the choppy grey waters, watching the distant form of the giant squid ploughing through the waves at a tremendous speed. 

From this distance Harry couldn't make out a single word of what they were saying. So if he couldn't hear them, they would not be able to hear him.

Despite the shock, Harry's numb brain had latched onto a single instruction that Professor Dumbledore had given him; Contact the Order.

Kneeling down on the edge of the bank, Harry pulled the Invisibility Cloak down off of his head. His reflection stared up at him, looking deathly pale. Forcing himself to concentrate Harry touched the tip of his wand to the water's surface, sending glowing ripples through the reeds. Muttering the incantation under his breath, a jet of pure white light shot out of his wand and down through the depths, vanishing from sight. The rippling continued to emanate from the centre. Harry waited anxiously.

Then a familiar face appeared in the water among the ripples, wearing an expression of immense relief.

'Harry, there you are! Everyone's been getting really worried. We were starting to think that something had happened.'

'Hi, Katie.' Harry forced a shaky smile.

Katie's smile faded. She peered closely at him, unusually concerned.

'Blimey, Harry, what's wrong? If you were a Muggle I'd say you look like you've seen a ghost.'

'Not quite. Can I speak to Dumbledore?'

Katie raised her eyebrows.

'Sure,' she said, still looking troubled. 'Just hold on for a second.'

Katie's face vanished and was soon replaced with that of the Hogwarts Headmaster.

'Harry, are you all right?' he asked gravely.

Glancing up through the reeds at his mother and father, Harry wasn't sure if he could give an answer to that.

'Harry, are you all right?' Dumbledore asked again. 'Where are you?'

Harry looked down into Dumbledore's questioning face.

'Hogwarts,' he said slowly. 'I'm at Hogwarts.'

Dumbledore's brow furrowed, his ice blue eyes peering intently into Harry's own. It seemed that he was trying to read his mind, or at least his expression and tone of voice.

'What have you seen?' he asked gently, as though sensing something was deeply wrong.

Silence. Harry's mouth opened but no sound came out.

'Harry?'

Averting his eyes, Harry spoke to his lap.

'My - my parents.'

Neither of them spoke. When Harry finally looked back up, Dumbledore's eyes were wide and over-bright, his lined face etched with grave concern and shock.

'How old are they?' he asked urgently.

'Um, fifteen, sixteen maybe, I'm not sure.' said Harry vaguely, wondering why that would make any difference. 

'Harry,' Dumbledore said softly. 'I understand this must have been an awful shock but you must not forget _why_ you are there. You have a job, a purpose, to ensure that that timeline remains intact. Do you remember what I told you? You must protect the target -'

The target, Harry thought numbly, his eyes locking back onto the distant figures on the bank. Protect the target.

'And nothing more. Do you understand?'

'Yes, sir,' said Harry. But he wouldn't meet Dumbledore's eyes. Dumbledore frowned.

'Harry -'

But Harry pulled sharply away from the lake, standing up to see over the reeds. They were leaving, heading back up to the castle.

'I've got to go.' He said shortly. Aiming his wand at the water, he cut off the link. Dumbledore's stunned face faded away into nothing, the water returning to normal. 

Pulling the Cloak back up over his head, Harry set off, running to catch up with his father.

__

Protect the target … protect the target … 

*

'Ah, dear, tha' musta hurt quite a bit.' Hagrid sighed, holding the injured raven up to his eye level, squinting at the crumpled mass of black feathers of what used to be a fully functional wing. The bird squabbled and jabbed at Hagrid's fingers with its long, sharp beak.

Placing the raven gently back onto the scrubbed wooden table, Hagrid looked around his cabin for a birdcage.

'Is it possible to fix the wing?' asked Remus anxiously, holding back Holly, Hagrid's three year old black female boarhound. Holly was watching the raven curiously, trying to get close enough to have a good sniff. 'I mean, it will be able to fly again, won't it?'

'Should think so, yeah. It's jus' tryin' ter fix the break without him movin' around too much, tha's the problem. Birds don't like sittin' still fer long.'

True to form, the raven was still putting up a good fight, struggling in Hagrid's grasp.

Fumbling under the table, Hagrid pulled out a small birdcage and gently placed the bird inside. The raven went berserk, hurling itself around the cage in a panic, cawing loudly and beating its one good wing against the bars, sending loose feathers flying all over the place.

'Can't we put a Sleep Spell on it or something?' asked Remus. 'It'll hurt itself even more if it keeps that up.'

'Nah, don't like ter use magic on animals an' birds if I can help it. Does more 'arm than good most o' tha time. Best yah can do, Remus, is ter keep it in the dark in a quiet place. When it's calmed down we can try an' help it.'

All of a sudden, the bird stopped fighting. It was now perched as still as a statue, its dark eyes fixed on Remus.

Remus stared at the raven. It stared back. It didn't blink or turn away.

Hagrid found a thick blue towel in his cupboard and draped it over the cage, tucking the edges underneath. The raven remained still and silent as the material fell over it.

'I'll leave it fer an hour or so, let it get used ter its new home, then try somethin' with that wing.'

'Okay, thanks Hagrid. I'd better get back to the castle now.'

'All right, see yah later, Remus.'

As Remus left the cabin, he glanced back at the covered cage. For some strange reason, it felt as though the bird was still staring at him.

*

Within the darkened cage, Seth's cool gaze followed the boy's shadow as it moved away.

The pain in his wing was excruciating, but his hearing was in no way impaired. 

Remus. That's what the other person had called him. And outside, he suddenly recalled someone referring to the boy as 'Moony'. Remus Lupin; one of the names from his files. 

Seth mentally went over the information. Remus Lupin; a member of Gryffindor house; top of the class in Defence against the Dark Arts; acted as a reserve Keeper for his house Quidditch team; went by the nickname of Moony as a member of the quartet of mischief makers known as the Marauders. 

Which meant that he often met with the target. 

Seth's enthusiasm for the hunt returned full measure. He was on the correct timeline, he was certain of that. Begrudgingly, he admitted that those Death Eaters weren't complete incompetents after all. 

Then something else occurred to him. 

Remus Lupin was a victim of childhood lycanthropy. Now that was interesting.

Settling himself down in an effort to conserve his energy, the beginnings of a plan started to formulate in Seth's mind.

*

Back at the Hall of Light, Remus Lupin was nervously watching his friend pace the room. Sirius hadn't said a word since Dumbledore had informed them of the timeline in which Harry had arrived. Both of them had been deeply shaken to think that Harry had just seen his mother and father. What on earth was going through that poor boy's mind right now?

The rest of the Order had been informed. The news didn't seem quite as startling to them but they were quick to reach a conclusion as to the assassins motive. He was after James or Lily Potter. Possibly both.

Sirius and Remus had quickly excused themselves from the Hall and shut themselves away in an empty room as far away from the others as possible. That had been half an hour ago. Remus sat with his head in his hands, staring at nothing. Sirius kept pacing the room and shaking his head.

'I don't believe this,' he muttered. 'He could have gone back to any moment in time. He might have seen the founders laying the first stones of Hogwarts castle a thousand years ago … gone back to when Ollivander's started business … seen the battle of Hastings in 1066 … the start of the second world war … he didn't even have to go back that far, he could have gone back to a week last Thursday for crying out loud!'

Sirius' pacing had sped up.

'He could have ended up on _any_ moment in history, he could have gone _anywhere_ - and he ends up in the 'Marauder era' ?' he cried in disbelief, throwing up his hands. Sirius let out a ragged breath, feeling extremely frustrated and powerless to do anything about it. 'I shouldn't have let him go.' 

'You weren't to know,' said Remus quietly. 'None of us even considered the possibility.'

'But _why_ didn't we?' Sirius demanded angrily. 'Isn't it kind of obvious? Didn't I say earlier that the target must be important to Voldemort in some way or another? Someone that he didn't want screwing up his plans? Did it not occur to anyone that Harry brought about the Dark Lord's downfall fourteen years ago? Voldemort had been gaining power steadily until then. If Harry hadn't been around to stop him, who knows what would have happened?'

Sirius slumped into a chair across from Remus, closed his eyes and let out a resigned sigh.

'He's going to kill James and Lily before Harry can be born.'

'It would appear so,' said Remus. 'And by targeting them when they're not even fully trained in magic is quite clever. They don't know nearly enough to defend themselves.'

'Even if they did, we're talking about a highly trained assassin here.'

Remus simply nodded.

Sirius fixed him with an incredulous stare.

'_How_ can you be taking this so calmly?' 

Remus raised an eyebrow.

'Would it help matters if I were hysterical?'

Sirius thought about that for a moment, then rested his chin in his hand. 'Probably not, but I know that look. What are you thinking, Moony?'

Remus hesitated, then said carefully, 'I think that the assassin may not be the only problem.'

'Why? Isn't one enough?'

Leaning back in his chair, Remus wondered how best to phrase his suspicions for he knew that Sirius would not like them one little bit.

'Padfoot, can I ask you something? A personal question?'

Sirius shrugged.

'Yeah, sure, go ahead.'

'If you could go back and change any moment in history, what would it be?'

Sirius' face fell. An odd guarded expression fell over his features.

'What kind of question is that?'

'An important one. Will you answer it?'

For a moment, Sirius didn't say anything. His eyes wandered, not focusing on anything in particular. Finally, he said, 'I guess it would have to be when James asked me to be the Secret Keeper. I would have accepted the role instead of trying to be clever and call the Dark Lord's bluff by switching to Peter at the last minute.'

'What do you think would have happened if you had done that?'

'Well, Prongs and Lily would probably still be alive right now,' he said sadly. 'They would have raised Harry instead of him being left with those Muggle excuses for relatives …' 

He stopped. Slowly, he looked up at Remus, meeting his cool blue-grey eyes. Eyes that held the notion of an awful suspicion.

'Oh, no, Moony, you don't think …'

'I think it's a possibility we need to be aware of.'

Sirius looked thoroughly bewildered.

'But - but Harry wouldn't … he _knows_ the risks involved in altering history!' He forced a laugh. 'Besides, _what_ is there that he could change on that timeline that could possibly have _any_ effect on that?' Sirius leaned back and folded his arms. Of course Harry wouldn't think of such a thing. Why would he? What could he do?

'Sirius, with the exception of Voldemort, who has been held responsible for his parents deaths?'

Sirius suddenly felt his bubble of rationalisations burst. He sat in stunned, horrified silence for several long minutes.

'No.' he said quietly. 'No, I don't believe that. Harry is _not _that way inclined, I'm sure of it. I know _I _would do anything to bring James and Lily back … but - but to kill …' he shook his head firmly. 'No, Harry wouldn't _do_ something like that.'

Remus felt terrible - truly sick to his stomach at the thought. He really did not want to have brought this up, but he feared it _was_ a very real possibility. 

The future of Harry's parents now lay in their son's hands. 

Given this chance … what reason did he have not to take it?

*

****

To Be Continued

*

**__**

Please review. All comments and constructive criticism are appreciated. 


	5. Deadly Temptations

****

Chapter Five; Deadly Temptation

The Hogwarts school library was almost exactly the same as Harry knew it; the hundreds of dimly lit rows consisting of thousands of shelves stuffed full of books; the highly polished work tables placed down the centre and around the walls; even the irritable, vulture-like librarian, Madam Pince, was the same as she ever was, glaring suspiciously at each student that entered or dared to disturb the quiet.

James, Sirius, Lily and Peter had tiptoed inside, avoiding Madam Pince's steely gaze, and claimed a table at the far end of the library beside the Magical Theory section. Harry followed closely behind, as silent as a ghost. He settled himself up on the broad window-ledge beside their table, all the time checking that the Cloak was still hiding him from sight.

Peering down from his vantage point, Harry watched his father absentmindedly chewing his quill as he struggled to concentrate on an extremely dull History of Magic essay; _'How the Laws passed by the Peruvian Sorcerers Union are relevant to the Wizard's Council Committee for International Trading and Commerce'_. 

Everyone had always pointed out how much Harry resembled his father, and the photos that he owned indeed showed a likeness - but it struck Harry anew to actually lay eyes upon an almost perfect physical replica. 

Truly it was a most incredible and heart-wrenching experience. The distance between father and son was no more than five feet but it felt more like a thousand miles. Harry couldn't deny just how much he wanted to reveal himself, yet he determinedly remained quiet and hidden. He was not so foolish as to disregard Dumbledore's instructions, not while his parents' lives were on the line. Showing himself would only draw the assassin's attention and distract Harry from his mission.

Next to James, Sirius was working on a complicated Ancient Rune scroll, meticulously checking over his translations, constantly referring to his Rune dictionary and mass of class notes, a look of intense concentration on his face.

Lily sat opposite, neatly writing out a six foot long Charms essay. Her long red hair hung like a curtain over her face; every few minutes she would tuck it behind her ear, only to have it fall back a few seconds later.

Harry felt strangely moved as James and Lily kept meeting each other's eyes, exchanging silent words through their smiles. To think that in a few years time they would be married with a child on the way. Did they have any idea as to what the future held? That they would have only a few precious years together? They weren't even going to have that if the assassin found them. Harry sat with his wand clutched tightly in his hand, trying to stay alert and watchful for anyone approaching.

Protect the target. Not such an easy task when you had no idea as to where the assassin was or when they would strike.

So, being slightly on edge, Harry couldn't help but start as someone suddenly emerged from among the shelves without making a sound. Harry immediately jerked his wand up, the words of a Paralysis Hex on his lips, just as Sirius looked up at the new arrival, his face brightening in an instant.

'Hey, Moony! Care to join us in this monotonous drudgery our professors have so cruelly subjected us to?'

Harry stared, suddenly recognising the boy. Although none of the Marauders seemed to be over sixteen, Remus somehow looked older. Maybe it was because of the dark circles under his eyes and pale complexion. But his hair was a lovely shade of honey-brown and there was a sparkle in his blue-grey eyes set off by the benign smile that Harry knew so well. Harry lowered his wand, silently berating himself for being so jumpy.

Peter, who had spent the last twenty minutes searching through the musty yellow pages of an enormous dusty old tomb, quickly moved up to give Remus room.

'Moony?' he said as soon as Remus had sat down, a quiet desperation in his voice. 'Could you help me with my essay?'

Remus, having just taken his own essay out of his bag, gave a small, tolerant sigh, as though he'd been asked this many times before.

'What are you stuck on?'

'Everything.' Peter admitted reluctantly. 'I can't remember any of Professor Scythe's lecture -'

'You might want to try paying attention then, instead of stuffing your face with Peppermint Toads,' said Sirius slyly.

Peter squirmed guiltily, his face reddening. 'I - I …'

'Don't try to deny it, Wormtail, I saw you. You must have had at least a dozen - I counted!'

'A dozen?' James looked up from his essay, staring at Peter in disbelief. 'And you didn't share?'

'You greedy pig!' Lily was trying to refrain from smiling so that she could look stern.

'I was hungry!'

'You're _always_ hungry!' said James pointedly. 'The house-elves must simply love you.'

Remus didn't join in the banter. Looking over Peter's extremely short composition, he quickly drew his attention to some obvious mistakes.

'Wormtail, you've got the classifications muddled up.'

Peter cringed, peering at the blotched parchment, fiddling with a crumpled yellow quill.

'Look here - lycanthropes are classified as shapeshifters _but_ not all shapeshifters are lycanthropes. Remember what Professor Kettleburn said about Kelpies last week? And Boggarts are forever changing shape so they're in the same group.

'And here - zombies and vampires, although they are both considered by many people to be 'walking dead', they are classed separately because of the zombie's instinctive and compelling drive to feed off dead or decaying matter, unless of course, they've been given specific instructions by the witch or wizard who raised it. Vampires on the other hand, retain the mental capacity to think for themselves and appear to be very much human … if a bit pale.'

'Speaking of …' Sirius muttered, glaring stonily over Remus' shoulder in the direction of the Divination section.

The Marauders all turned round as a pale boy with a hooked nose and long greasy black hair stepped out from behind the shelves. Harry had to admit that the boy did indeed look like a good example of a vampire, yet there was something disturbingly familiar about him too …

Two other boys, both of whom were tall and powerfully built, flanked the vampire-boy. One was blond with a crooked nose and dark narrow eyes. He leered menacingly at Peter who quickly avoided his eyes. The other had spiky dark brown hair and a hard face that gave an immediate impression of a bad attitude.

The three of them stood there for a moment, their eyes sweeping over the Marauders, no doubt looking for trouble. The Marauders exchanged brief looks, putting each other on their guard. Lily casually picked up her wand, twirling it with her long slender fingers, her eyes drifting from one boy to the next. James and Sirius however, were watching the middle boy. Harry could feel a definite sense of unease and hostility in the air. 

The greasy haired boy, sneering disdainfully down his nose at the Marauders, sauntered past their table and snatched up a roll of parchment - Remus' essay.

James was on his feet.

'Give that back, Snape.' He growled.

Snape's face twisted into a scornful smirk.

'Ah, isn't that sweet,' he said in the same cold, unctuous voice that so often made use of the phrase 'Five points from Gryffindor.'

Harry felt an almost irresistible urge to sneak up behind Snape and give him a good smack in the back of the head, but the chances of getting to him without bumping into someone were too great. Regretfully, he had to stay where he was.

'Still standing up for poor meek little Lupin, are you?' said Snape scathingly. 'Do you fight all his battles for him, Potter? If he wants this back, he can get it from me himself.' And he pocketed the parchment.

Next moment, Sirius had his wand aimed at Snape's face.

'If you'd like to keep that pit of slime you call your hair, I suggest you hand it over.' 

Snape's cronies stepped forward. Harry nervously eyed their fists. They were as large as bricks and probably just as solid. Sirius stood his ground, James beside him.

Snape's nostrils flared.

'And _I_ suggest that if you two like your faces the way they are … that is to say, devoid of a pummelling … then you should back off.'

'Too scared to take us on by yourself, are you?' asked James. 'Afraid you'll lose without Avery and Rosier here to back you up?'

Avery and Rosier scowled at James, cracking their knuckles. Snape's eyes flashed.

'Save your pep talk for that coward. I always knew that the mighty Gryffindor house was full of yellow-bellied cowards,' he said pointedly to Remus. Remus remained silent, his face impassive. 'How else could those two have got in if it weren't?' Snape's black eyes flicked over to Peter, who flushed a deep red, his pudgy face contorting with bitter fury.

Smirking, Snape spun on his heel, his black cloak swirling, and made to leave.

'Severus.'

Snape paused. Slowly, he turned back round with an air of superiority. Remus met Snape's dark eyes unwaveringly, careful to kept his expression neutral.

'May I have my homework back, please?'

Harry, and indeed the rest of the Marauders, turned to stare incredulously at Remus in stunned disapproval. How could he just _ask_ Snape for it back? And so politely?

A thin smile spread across Snape's cruel face.

'Certainly,' he said, with such an air of courtesy, you'd have thought that he had meant to return it anyway.

Sirius and James glared suspiciously as Snape swept over to Remus, still smiling in a cold, snake-like manner. Removing the roll of parchment from his robe pocket, Snape tossed it carelessly back onto the desk in front of Remus, regarding him with a contemptuous stare.

'Thank you,' said Remus politely, unrolling the parchment.

'You're welcome.' Snape shot a pointed look at Avery. The taller of the boys pushed roughly past the table, deliberately jogging Remus hard against the table - he let out a cry of pain as his elbow smashed into the edge of the hard wooden table - a bottle of ink wobbled precariously and toppled over as Avery gave the table another shove. A stream of dark purple ink poured out and sloshed all over Remus' essay, completely soaking it.

Lily leapt to her feet, her emerald eyes blazing furiously. She didn't waste her breath on threats. There was a flash of scarlet light and Avery was violently thrown back against the shelves. Several heavy volumes came crashing down onto Avery's and Rosier's heads, barely missing Snape who quickly side-stepped out of the way, glaring murderously at Lily. Lily glared back, aiming her wand at his head.

James and Sirius had just started towards Snape when Peter hissed 'Watch out!'

'What is going on here?' demanded the irate screech of the librarian as Madam Pince came striding towards them. Lily quickly put her wand down, James and Sirius swiftly moved back towards their table and Snape stepped back from Avery and Rosier who were too dazed to do anything. 

Madam Pince stopped short of the heap of fallen books, her sharp eyes taking in the scene and fixing each pupil with a penetrating stare that demanded a guilty response. Unfortunately, her eyes were quickly drawn to the dark inky puddle that had spread over most of the table and was now dripping onto the floor.

'What is the meaning of this?' she snapped at Remus who was self-consciously rubbing his bruised elbow.

Snape butted in before Remus could even open his mouth.

'They've all been fooling around and making an _awful_ racket,' he said in a voice as greasy as his hair. 'We just came over to ask them to be quiet; we couldn't concentrate on our own work, and they just ignored us, saying they didn't care and damaged all these books!' He ended on a dramatically tragic note, smiling sadistically at the Marauders as Madam Pince swung round, glaring at them as though she was about to murder the lot of them.

They didn't even get a chance to explain. Madam Pince took their names, promised that each of them were still going to be in detention long after they graduated, and ordered them to clean up the mess. Snape strode off laughing, Rosier and Avery guffawing as they followed, looking very pleased with themselves.

The Marauders dutifully cleaned up the inky mess with some Absorption and Cleansing Charms, and the books were levitated back up to the topmost shelves. As soon as Madam Pince had thoroughly inspected the table and floor and declared it satisfactory, she scurried off back to her office, no doubt to inform Professor McGonagall of their unruly behaviour.

Remus picked up his ink stained essay. It was so badly stained that it was almost impossible to read and the wet parchment was tearing apart wherever he touched it. With a small sigh, Remus took a fresh roll of parchment and a new bottle of ink out of his bag.

'You're not going to write it all out again, are you?' asked Sirius incredulously.

'I have to if I don't want to get into trouble, Padfoot,' said Remus coolly, already writing away, his quill moving swiftly across the parchment.

'But that'll take ages!' James protested. 'Here - just copy mine.'

'No, it's all right,' Remus insisted, writing faster still, looking uncomfortable. 'I can remember the bulk of what I wrote. Besides, Professor Scythe will know if I copy someone else's and I'm in enough trouble with him already.'

'But it wasn't even your fault your homework got ruined. If you tell Professor Scythe -'

'What? Rat on the teachers pet?' Remus looked at James as though he was crazy. James thought better of the suggestion and shut up. But Sirius wasn't finished.

'As much as I hate to admit it, Snape did sort of have a point. Why on earth don't you stand up to him? Fight back once in your life?'

'And sink down to his level? No, thank you.' said Remus in a dignified sort of way. 

Lily was still fuming silently. Harry could almost feel the heat coming off her.

'That slimy git,' she spat. 'He's not getting away with this. First chance I get I'm going to hex all his joints back to front!'

'Vicious little spitfire, isn't she?' whispered Sirius, sounding impressed. 'No wonder you like her.'

James managed a wry smile.

Peter was looking from his half-completed essay over to Remus as he frantically scribbled out his own for the second time and back again. A light seemed to spark suddenly in his watery eyes.

'Prongs?' he said, quietly.

'Yeah?'

'Think I should check if Snape has anything else in his pockets?' he suggested slyly.

James, Sirius and Remus all looked up at him. That sly grin seemed to be extremely contagious. Harry was baffled. What was Peter getting at?

'Go for it, Wormtail!' Sirius whispered excitedly.

Harry blinked - and Peter vanished! Startled, Harry leaned forward as far as he could without falling off the windowsill, trying to see where Peter had gone. He caught a flash of movement on the floor out of the corner of his eye. Harry turned just in time to see a thin, pale tail whip out of sight behind the nearest bookshelf.

And it hit him. Of course! They were Animagi! Harry could have kicked himself for not realising it earlier. As if their nicknames weren't blatant enough clues, the fact that they were at least sixteen should have tipped him off. Hadn't Remus told him once that they had succeeded in becoming Animagi during their fifth year? How could he have missed that?

'AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!'

A horrible scream rang out through the library, silencing everybody else in a split second. Harry jumped, gripping the sill tightly. The Marauders exchanged triumphant smiles and launched themselves out of their seats to look down the next aisle of books. Harry hastily climbed down and followed them.

There, at the far end of the aisle, was Snape, screaming and shouting in a panic, jumping and dancing around wildly as he frantically shook and slapped his robes. Avery and Rosier were standing well back, looking bewildered, hesitant to assist Snape despite his continued shouts for help.

The Marauders fell about laughing, hanging on to each other for support. Harry looked closer. From underneath the collar of Snape's robes came a thin, worm-like tail, whipping back and forth. Snape took one look at it and bellowed even louder, renewing his efforts to shake it out.

'GET IT OFF ME! GET IT OFF!'

Sniggering uncontrollably, Harry had to stuff his fist in his mouth to muffle the sound, leaning against the bookshelves shaking with suppressed laughter. Other students, curious as to the commotion, were appearing from all around the library, shrieking with delight and pointing as Snape tried desperately to shake the rat out which appeared to have slid down his back.

Madam Pince came swooping down on Snape looking absolutely outraged and none too sympathetic to his plight.

Completely unnoticed by the Slytherins or Madam Pince, a plump grey rat dropped out from under Snape's robes and onto the floor, dodging nimbly out of the way of the rapidly stamping feet and out of sight.

By the time the hysterics had subsided, Snape had been throw out of the library for his appalling behaviour. Peter sneaked back over to the Marauders and transformed back to human in a shadowy corner. He emerged looking flushed and promptly started dusting himself off, making a noise of disgust.

'Urgh! That was horrible! Grease and sweat -' he shuddered. 'Sorry guys, but there's _no _way I'm doing _that_ again!'

The others all laughed.

'Shame, that was brilliant! I've never seen Snape move so fast!' Sirius sniggered.

James clapped Peter jovially on the shoulder. 

'Good job Wormtail, the Marauder Honour is once again avenged!'

'Hey, no one bullies _my _friends and gets away with it!' he said firmly, to which Remus smiled gratefully. 

Deciding to quit working for the time being, the Marauders packed up their things and headed off down to the kitchens.

*

The sky was darkening to a deep velvet blue as the sun ducked down below the horizon. The night sky suddenly glowed with starlight. Shadows crept through the windows into the Gryffindor common room, kept at bay by the large crackling fire.

The Marauder's had spent all evening in front of the fire, discussing an upcoming Quidditch match and Wormtail's daring mission of vengeance. Sirius sent all of them into hysterics again with a ridiculous impersonation of Snape being attacked by a rat, complete with high pitched squeals for help.

Harry remained on the opposite side of the room, watching them. Although he had to keep reminding himself of the assassin threat, he was quite confident that the assassin would not be able to enter the Tower without the password. Just to be on the safe side, however, Harry had opted to spend the night in the common room, guarding the entrance. 

When Lily bade the boys goodnight, planted a kiss on James' cheek and swept up the staircase to the girls dormitories, Harry stayed where he was, listening to the Marauders while they finished off their essays for tomorrow's classes. Not long after Lily had gone, the Marauders left the common room and disappeared up the stairs to bed, leaving Harry on his own. He quietly moved over to a comfy armchair next to the fireplace, facing the portrait hole. If anyone forced their way in, Harry would have a clear and direct shot.

The fire was burning low, the embers glowing brightly as the shadows closed in.

After a while Harry's thoughts began to drift from his task, once again focusing on his mother and father. All his life he had wished he could remember his parents, that he could have spoken to them - now he had every opportunity to say something to them … and he couldn't, not without altering time. No one was to know of Harry's existence here.

__

This isn't fair, he thought bitterly. _I never knew them. I never even got the chance to know them._

His eyes fell upon one of the essays left on the low table in front of him. Peter's homework. Wormtail.

The traitor.

Harry's hands clenched tightly around his wand, a hot surge of anger rising from deep inside of him.

__

It was because of you, Wormtail, that I never knew them. It's all your fault. They trusted you and you betrayed them; my parents are dead, you put all the blame on Sirius and Remus was left all alone. 

Harry's gaze wandered up to the ceiling. Right above him, Peter slept soundly - the boy that would grow up to betray each and every one of his friends. How could anyone concede to such a disgusting and cowardly act? What on earth made him choose to side with the Dark and turn on his friends?

The building rage subsided only slightly when Harry reminded himself that back on his own timeline, Wormtail was paying for his crimes. Peter Pettigrew was entombed in Azkaban with a Dementors Kiss due to be administered in a weeks time.

But it still didn't change the fact that Harry's parents were dead because of him and nothing was going to change that.

Unless …

Harry sat up straighter, staring intently into the flickering flames. What if … what if it _could_ be changed? His heart ached with the longing for his parents so much it was an almost physical pain and thus impossible to ignore. Suppose there _was_ a way to save his parents? Not just from the assassin but from Voldemort. The Dark Lord had found James and Lily through Peter … so if Peter hadn't been there …

A dark thought suddenly occurred to Harry, the notion of which he was so physically repulsed by that he quickly shoved it away, feeling horribly sick to think that he would actually give such an act even a passing thought.

But the idea returned shortly after that, plaguing his mind. Demanding his consideration. To think about it.

Hesitantly, Harry mulled it over, looking down at the wand in his hands. It would be so easy. Wormtail was fast asleep just upstairs. Surely it wasn't difficult. One curse was all it would take -

Harry dropped the wand. It clattered loudly on the floor, the sound strangely magnified in the still night air. Harry stared into the dying firelight without really seeing anything. What _was_ he thinking? He couldn't kill Wormtail - he couldn't!

__

But he killed my parents. Surely it wasn't so much murder, as it was justice.

Do you honestly have it in you to kill a boy in cold blood? He hasn't done anything.

But he will! When he grows up he'll murder my mum and dad! He'll frame Sirius for it!

And what do you think Sirius would think of this?

He'd agree with it! If Wormtail weren't around then Sirius would have been the Secret Keeper in the first place and he wouldn't have spent twelve years in that hell hole for a crime he didn't commit!

You'd become a murderer for him?

Harry paused, suddenly recalling something that he'd actually told Wormtail on that fateful night so long ago when he'd discovered the truth behind his parents deaths, and when Sirius and Remus had been on the verge of executing Wormtail …

__

'NO! You can't kill him … you can't.'

'Harry, this piece of vermin is the reason you have no parents. This cringing bit of filth would have seen you die too, without turning a hair. You heard him. His own stinking skin meant more to him that your whole family.'

'I know. We'll take him up to the castle. We'll hand him over to the Dementors. He can go to Azkaban … just don't kill him.'

'Harry! You - thank you - it's more than I deserve - thank you -'

'Get off me! I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it because I don't reckon my dad would've wanted his best friends to become killers - just for you.'

The anger drained out of Harry like someone had pulled the plug.

He'd saved Wormtail's life that night. He hadn't wanted his godfather and very favourite professor to be responsible for Peter's death … no matter much he felt that Peter deserved it. Sirius had escaped Azkaban after twelve torturous years to commit the very crime for which he had been wrongly imprisoned. How angry he must have been. The burning hate and desire to deliver justice for himself, Remus, Lily, James … and Harry.

Yet Harry had stopped him.

Why?

Why stop Sirius from killing Wormtail only to go back in time and contemplate the very same thing, to kill him before he had the chance to betray his friends? 

Harry pondered that for a while. Then it occurred to him - how would he feel if someone from the future arrived on his timeline, claiming that Ron would ultimately betray him and had come to 'dispose' of him before it could happen? Well, for one thing, Harry wouldn't believe that, not for a second. 

And in the same way, James wouldn't have believed it of Peter. Friendships were based on trust. If James and Lily hadn't trusted Peter, they wouldn't have gone ahead with making him the Secret Keeper to try and fool the Dark Lord. They had had no way of knowing what was to happen.

So what would they think of Harry, if he did it, changed time to save them … would they, or could they, ever forgive him for it? For taking a life? 

Could Harry forgive himself?

Harry stared vacantly down at his wand, lying still and passive on the floor at his feet. 

The shadows thickened, swallowing him up as the final essence of light flickered and died.

*

****

To Be Continued

*

**__**

Please review. All comments and constructive criticism are appreciated. 


	6. The Virtue of Patience

****

Chapter Six; The Virtue of Patience

Early the next morning, the leafy treetops of the Forbidden Forest were adorned with beautiful golden highlights as the sun slowly climbed up into the sky from behind the mountains. The windows of Hagrid's cabin shone as the golden rays passed through, spilling into the room.

Holly lay curled up in her basket, her head on her paws, dozing peacefully beside Hagrid's bed. Hagrid himself emerged from underneath the large patchwork quilt, giving a huge yawn as he sat up, stretching to the ceiling. Swinging a leg out of bed, stepping carefully over Holly, Hagrid clambered out and ambled sleepily across the cabin in his blue-and-white striped pyjamas and fluffy slippers.

While Hagrid bustled about with the kettle and stoked the fire, the raven jerked awake, peering around its cage. One side of the cage had been exposed to allow some light in. The other three sides and the roof remained covered by the thick towel. Cautiously, the raven flexed its wing. The night before, Hagrid had gently administered a sweet-smelling oil to the wing which had gradually eased the pain. Moving it slowly up and down, the raven stretched the wing as far as it could, trying to ease the stiffness.

'How yah doin' this mornin', eh?'

Hagrid loomed over the cage, his beetle black eyes twinkling. The bird hopped back startled, flaring its wings. It cawed angrily. Hagrid chuckled.

'Ah, that wing's lookin' better now, isn't it? Yeah, don' worry, you'll be outta there soon enough.'

The raven hopped forward again, stabbing its long blue-black beak through the bars of the cage door.

'Hungry, are yah?' asked Hagrid.

The bird cawed loudly.

'All righ', let's see what we got - sure I've got some scraps o' cold meat you'll like.'

Hagrid rummaged around with his head in the cupboard, searching for the meat. The raven squawked louder, seizing the bars of the door and rattling them furiously.

'Yeah, yeah, all righ', I'm comin'.'

But the raven carried on, the cage door creaking rapidly.

Hagrid finally located the meat and playfully dangled a small sliver of meat in front of the bird. The bird eyed the morsel for a few seconds, then jabbed with its beak.

'Ouch!'

Hagrid dropped the meat and stuck his finger in his mouth. The raven resumed its door rattling with a vengeance.

Hagrid sucked on his sore finger for a moment, thinking.

'All righ' then, you wanna come out tah eat?'

The raven stopped, turning to look at him. It croaked urgently, jabbed at the door once and cawed at Hagrid, staring at him.

'Well, yah sure know how tah get what yah want, don' yah?' he chuckled. 'Okay, outcha come.'

And he opened the door.

The raven hopped out on to the table. It eagerly spread its wings to their full extent. The left wing wouldn't go quite as far as the right but that didn't stop the raven from attempting a test flight. It jumped up into the air, beating its wings laboriously as it fluttered across the room to the windowsill, where it sat staring intently out of the window. Hagrid looked very pleased.

'Right, back ya come now. I can't let yah go until you've had something.'

The raven turned a beady eye on Hagrid, as though considering him. Reluctantly it seemed, the bird flew back across the room to land on the table, peaking unenthusiastically at the meat.

The kettle in the fireplace emitted a piercing whistle. Hagrid heaved himself out of his chair and looked around for some teabags.

The moment Hagrid's back was turned, the raven hopped down off the table and onto the floor. Holly stirred restlessly, her nose twitching. 

'Where've they gone?' Hagrid muttered distractedly. 'Coulda sworn I'd put 'em in 'ere. Don't suppose you've seen 'em, eh?' he added, jokingly addressing the raven.

'No.' said a cold voice from right behind him.

Hagrid jumped, knocking over several jars and spun round.

Standing by the table was a tall, slender wizard shrouded in a pitch-black cloak, his deep hood shadowing his face. He was pointing a wand directly at Hagrid's face.

'Can't say I have.' he said coolly, his amber eyes gleaming maliciously out of the darkened face.

Hagrid quickly recovered himself, scowling angrily at the intruder, drawing himself up to his full height.

'Hey, what do yah - '

__

'Obliviate!'

A dreamy expression fell over Hagrid's angry features. His shoulders slumped as he stared bleary eyed at the wizard.

Slowly, Seth directed Hagrid back over to his bed with his wand. The giant lay down heavily, the bed creaking as it took his weight, and shut his eyes. A moment later, loud snores filled the cabin.

Holly gave a great booming bark, baring her long, sharp teeth at the stranger. Seth cautiously took a step back as Holly rose from her basket, a rumbling growl sounding from deep in her throat. The boarhound slowly took a step forward, her hackles raised.

__

'Dormire.' Seth whispered, flicking his wand at the boarhound.

Holly eyes drooped and she fell silent. Her legs shook as she backed up unsteadily, lying back down in her basket. Within seconds the dog had fallen into a deep sleep.

Satisfied that neither of them now posed a threat, Seth took a few minutes to examine his arm. A large and nasty looking green and yellow bruise had come up over his elbow and forearm. Touching the tip of his wand to his wound, a soft blue light encased his arm, glowing brightly. Seth's face gave only a slight twitch as the bones sharply moved back into position, the muscle realigned and the pain subsided.

Now, back to business.

Looking out of the window, Seth could see the magnificent sight of Hogwarts castle. The students would soon be going down to breakfast and then be off to their first lesson. He had time enough to prepare.

Lifting his wand to his chest, Seth pointed it towards him and proclaimed in a loud, clear voice, _'Mutatio aspectus.'_

At once, the worn lines and scars on his face vanished, the skin becoming smooth, turning from its natural pale tone to a darkened tan. The hair retained its dark brown colour but became shorter and spiked up, slicked back from his face. The hooked nose straightened out. The powerful build shrunk, leaving his body thin but strong. As a final touch, the amber irises dulled, clouding over with a dark muddy brown.

A tall boy of seventeen now stood in the centre of Hagrid's cabin, an evil smile contorting his otherwise handsome features.

Running the wand over his Adam's apple gave his vocal cords a slight adjustment; just enough to sound youthful and appropriate for a seventeen year old. As a final touch, his robes were transformed into perfect replicas of the Hogwarts school uniform.

The disguise complete, Seth returned to the window, watching the front doors of the castle.

Patience, that was all that was needed.

If all went as planned, the target would be dead by nightfall.

*

Moving about a crowded school beneath an Invisibility Cloak was neither simple nor recommended. Determined to keep the Marauders under constant surveillance nonetheless, Harry had had to find a practical solution to the problem of staying right beside them throughout the day without being trampled by the crowd or bumping into someone. Consequently, Harry had spent the early hours of the morning hovering on the Nimbus right up by the ceiling in the common room, waiting for the Marauders to leave the Tower.

Nearly half of the residents of Gryffindor Tower had passed through the common room before a familiar head of messy black hair emerged from the crowd of dithering students by the staircases.

Harry swooped quickly through the portrait hole after the Marauders, ducking his head then rocketing upwards, just in time to avoid the frame as it swung shut with a snap. Gliding high above their heads, Harry had to repeatedly swerve back and forth to dodge the candelabras and torches as they made their way down through the castle.

The Great Hall was full of students helping themselves to breakfast. Staring dispiritedly around the crowded room, Harry was starting to feel the deep flutterings of panic. If the assassin was lurking among the students this very minute, what chance did Harry have of protecting his mother and father? The assassin could be anywhere … and any_one_. He therefore spent a long fifteen minutes frantically trying to keep an eye on everyone and everything that was going on in the Hall.

The vast majority of students still looked as though they were half asleep, stifling yawns and missing their mouths with their spoons, spilling lumps of porridge onto the table. Others seemed to be more awake but in a state of suppressed panic as they racked their brains for decent excuses as to why they couldn't find their homework assignments.

James and Sirius were having a mini-food-fight, flicking spoonfuls of marmalade, jam and honey across the table at each other, occasionally aiming at Peter who happily ate whatever landed on his plate, regardless of what it landed in. Lily wrinkled her nose in disgust as Peter shoved a forkful of scrambled eggs splattered with honey and black-current jam into his mouth. 

Remus was less than awake. Resting his elbow on the table and holding his head in his hand, Remus looked ready to go back to sleep. The dark circles under his eyes were more pronounced than yesterday.

A projectile of lime marmalade zipped through the air over the juice jugs and landed with a wet splat in Remus' bowl of porridge, sending flecks up into the air and all over the table. The attack on his morning meal, however, seemed to go unnoticed. Remus simply closed his eyes, making no effort to eat anything.

'Aren't you hungry, Remus?' asked Lily, looking concerned.

Remus slowly shook his head.

'Can I have yours then?' said Peter, eyeing the porridge and marmalade hungrily. 'If you don't want it?'

Remus pushed the bowl towards Peter who seized it and shovelled great spoonfuls into his mouth like he hadn't seen food in days.

'Come on, Moony.' chided James, sending a blob of honey soaring over the table and straight into Sirius' goblet of pumpkin juice. 'You ought to have something - you won't have the strength to take on the Slytherins later if you don't!'

Managing a half-hearted smile, Remus reached for a slice of toast and obediently forced down a few mouthfuls.

A bell rang out through the Hall, signalling the start of the morning's lessons. The Marauders abandoned their breakfast, slung their bags onto their shoulders, grabbed their books and went out into the entrance hall. 

Harry swooped down and snatched a slice of toast off the Gryffindor table as he followed; he was starting to think that the loud rumbling of his stomach was going to give him away if he didn't eat something soon. He'd missed out on dinner yesterday so he was really quite hungry.

Flying over the heads of the students hurrying out into the entrance hall, Harry wondered if he was going to be able to get into any of the classrooms without clouting some poor unsuspecting student around the head, when he realised that the Marauders were heading out of the oak front doors and down the sloping lawns. Somewhat relieved, Harry sped through the doorway and out into the open air. He soared up into the sky, relishing the feel of the cool breeze on his face, free of the claustrophobic, narrow confines of the corridors. 

Down below, two other Gryffindor girls had joined the Marauders. Lily detached herself from the boys to walk with them.

Ahead of them, running alongside the edge of the Forbidden Forest, was a large, spacious paddock. Grazing nonchalantly in the centre was a number of horses. Leaning against the fence was a wizard dressed in tan coloured robes, calling for the students to hurry up.

The Gryffindors quickened their pace, assembling by the paddock, peering at the horses. One specimen, a fine chestnut gelding, raised his head in their direction and gave a loud snort, pulling away from his fellows and flexing his wings.

Harry dived down and leapt off the Nimbus, gazing open-mouthed at the horses. Each of the beautiful creatures had large feathery wings folded tight and held close to their sides, ruffling them as they eyed the gathering students curiously. A few backed away, whinnying nervously.

There were several handsome chestnut coloured horses and a few large grey ones. All of them looked strong and healthy, their coats gleaming in the sun. Harry had never really gotten too close to a winged horse before. 

Remus currently owned one; a chestnut stallion named Trold and he was very temperamental. Remus had warned Harry not to get too close in case he got hurt. Trold hadn't been treated very well by his previous owner and wasn't particularly keen on trusting another handler. But patience was slowly paying off; Trold now readily allowed Remus to ride him but still objected to anyone else so much as approaching him, so Harry couldn't help but feel wary of these creatures despite their friendly appearance.

'Gather round here, everyone.' called the wizard, beckoning to the students.

Harry was pleasantly surprised to recognise the wizard as Professor Kettleburn, Hogwarts previous Care of Magical Creatures teacher. Harry had only seen Professor Kettleburn a few times in the corridors and occasionally up at the staff table during his first two years at Hogwarts before Kettleburn's retirement, but he was immediately recognisable; after all, how many of the teachers here only had one arm?

The left sleeve of Professor Kettleburn's robe was empty, pinned up to his shoulder to keep it out of the way. He was a short, robust wizard with a head of red-brown hair, a good-natured face and a cheerful smile. Harry wasn't so sure why he was smiling; Snape, Avery and Rosier had just arrived, along with three other boys and four girls, all of whom stood on Professor Kettleburn's other side, distancing themselves from the Gryffindors as though they were carrying something nasty and contagious.

'Good morning class.' said Professor Kettleburn briskly. 'Good to see you're all wide awake and ready for the lesson. Mr Lupin, would you mind telling us what breeds of winged horses we have here?'

Remus, who had been unsuccessfully trying to suppress a yawn, quickly cast an eye over the horses in the paddock.

'Aethonan's and Granian's,' he said promptly. 'The Aethonan's are the brown ones, the Granian's are the larger greys.'

'Very good, five points for Gryffindor. Now, winged horses are quite popular as pets among the magical communities all over the world even though they can be rather dangerous if not handled correctly. Their large size and immense strength can cause an awful lot of damage if you upset them. These horses here have all been broken in and trained so theoretically the risks will be minimal so long as you all pay attention. Miss Stolerush, if you wouldn't mind?' he added sternly.

A haughty, dark-haired Slytherin girl with heavy makeup gave Professor Kettleburn a patronising glare but sullenly put her hand-held mirror and comb back in her robe pocket.

'If I see either of those out of your pocket for a second time I'll take five points from your house, you hear me? Good. Right, if you'll all look this way I'll demonstrate how to place a bridle on a horse in the correct way.'

Harry climbed the paddock fence to sit on the topmost bar so he could see over everyone's heads. Professor Kettleburn was holding up a silvery-blue bridle and describing how to adjust the straps. Most of the class was paying close attention, but Harry could see the Slytherin girl skulking behind some of the taller students, now filing her nails, completely disinterested.

Harry glanced back over his shoulder towards the castle. He wasn't sure which was more concerning; being in a crowd or out here in the open. Either position could give the assassin an advantage, one that Harry didn't want him to have.

Just as Harry turned to listen in on the lesson, something rather unusual caught his eye.

Hagrid's cabin was some distance from the class, set by the forest border. That in itself wasn't strange, but the boy that emerged from the hut certainly drew Harry's attention. What was he doing at Hagrid's at this time of the morning? Shouldn't he be in a lesson right now?

As Harry watched, the boy eased the door of the cabin shut and strode off up the lawn towards the castle. Harry frowned. Something wasn't right.

Suddenly, as though sensing Harry's stare, the boy stopped and looked over to the Care of Magical Creatures class. For a brief moment, Harry could have sworn that the boy had looked straight at him, but from this distance it was impossible to make out his features.

The boy stood there for a few moments, his gaze travelling over the class, over to the greenhouses and then up the lawn to the Whomping Willow. Pulling his cloak around him, the boy swiftly went up the front steps and into the castle out of sight.

'Are you paying attention over there?' snapped an irritable voice.

Forgetting himself for a moment, Harry jerked his head round. But of course Professor Kettleburn wasn't talking to Harry, he still had the Cloak on, instead he was sternly reprimanding the girl with the nail-file.

'I gave you fair warning, Miss Stolerush. Five points from Slytherin. Now come to the front here, where I can see you.'

Pouting, the girl stormed over, crossing her arms and holding her head high, glaring at him.

'And you can get rid of that attitude, missy, or that'll be another five points.'

The other Slytherin girls were scowling at her. She chose to ignore them, making a show of not caring.

Professor Kettleburn took the class through the gate and into the paddock, dividing them up into smaller groups and assigning a winged horse to each of them.

James and Remus were handed the lead-rope of a handsome chestnut gelding. Sirius and Lily had a young grey mare that kept ruffling her wings expectantly. 

'You needn't worry about any of them suddenly flying off,' Professor Kettleburn assured them. 'A good Grounding Spell can keep their hooves firmly on the ground for the time being. Do we have any experienced riders here?'

Several hands rose into the air, including Lily and Remus.

'Excellent. Now I want all of you to check the bridle and saddle of your horse. If you find anything wrong, whether it's too tight or too loose, point it out and tell me why it's a problem.'

The lesson continued with the class adjusting each of the horses tack, then the more experienced riders were permitted to mount their horse and walk it around the paddock.

A few of the horses were rather skittish. Lily's grey mare was prancing around, constantly flicking her tail and tossing her head. Taking a firmer grip on the reins, Lily tried to coax the mare into easing back from the others.

'Careful there, Miss Evans,' Professor Kettleburn called as Lily rode past. 'Boline is rather high strung, just keep a firm hand, she'll calm down soon enough.'

Lily nodded, bringing Boline up behind Remus who was having no such difficulties. His chestnut gelding was walking calmly round the edge of the paddock, obedient to Remus' silent commands to turn, to speed up or slow down a little.

James, Sirius and Peter were leaning back against the fence, watching. As soon as they were sure that no one was close enough to listen in, they started conversing in low whispers. Harry had to creep up behind them to hear.

'Still up for tonight?' whispered Sirius eagerly.

Peter nodded enthusiastically. James made a grimace of frustration.

'I'm probably going to be late,' he said. 'I've got a Prefect's meeting this evening and I don't have a clue how long it'll be before I can escape.'

'I take it you don't want us to bust you out of there like last time?' Sirius was grinning impishly. James did not look amused.

'Setting a swarm of Doxy's loose in the dungeons does _not_ constitute as a rescue, Padfoot.'

'Got you out of the meeting, didn't it?'

'Yes, but-'

'Was it about anything important?'

'Only if you count supervising some corridor that no one ever uses because of the Bundimun infestation - no.'

'So why are you arguing the results?'

'_Because_ Lily and I were going to stay behind after the meeting to … er … talk about … some stuff.' Sirius and Peter exchanged knowing looks. 'And instead, she ended up in the Hospital Wing for several days with a Doxy bite.' James glared sternly at Sirius.

'Hey, I apologised! Several times, remember? I had to get down on my knees and beg for forgiveness!'

'She only accepted your apology to stop you making an over dramatised scene in front of the whole school,' said James, coolly. 'You _know_ she hates that.'

Sirius gave a laugh that sounded oddly like a bark. 'That was the point, Prongs! Look, Marauders Honour, I will not attempt to rescue you from that boredom fest, happy?'

'Yes. Thank you.'

'But you're not hanging around afterwards to lip-wrestle with your girlfriend.' Sirius assumed a snooty expression of authority. 'I don't want Moony to be on his own out there, you know he gets rowdy if either of us aren't there. No offence Wormtail,' he added to Peter. 'But there's not a lot you can do to stop him if he starts getting a bit snappy.'

Peter nodded glumly, just as a cold, sneering voice cut through their conversation.

'You're not seriously telling me that the meek little mouse of the Gryffindor set _actually_ has a temper he can lose? Lashes out violently from time to time, does he?' Severus Snape was standing barely five feet away.

Harry could see the Marauders faces pale slightly, exchanging nervous glances. How much had Snape heard?

'Sod off, Snape.' Sirius growled.

Snape merely continued to watch them, a cold calculating look in his narrow eyes.

'Is poor little Remmy too afraid to go anywhere without his keepers in tow? Needs constant supervision?'

Snape's eyes flashed across the paddock at Remus who was putting his horse through a fast trot, then a rocking canter to Kettleburn's requests.

'I wouldn't be surprised, being so sickly all the time. It's a wonder how he can stay awake long enough to blow up another potion - how many cauldrons has he melted now? Eight is it? I keep losing count.'

If you're going to pick on someone, choose someone who's here to defend themselves.' said James angrily, gripping his wand tightly.

'How would that make a difference?' Snape chuckled, indicating Remus with a careless wave of his hand.

Professor Kettleburn was looking over at them suspiciously, but before he could say anything as to what they were doing, Snape had turned on his heel and marched off back to his Slytherin friends, a self-satisfied smirk on his pale face.

James was holding his wand as though very tempted to curse Snape.

'That git, why won't he ever leave Moony alone?'

'I'm all for Lily's suggestion - let's hex his kneecaps.' said Sirius savagely.

'And his nose,' Peter added. 'Stop him poking it into other people's business.'

Unfortunately, the opportunity didn't present itself and Snape went un-hexed for the time being. The lesson continued without further incident, unless you counted Sirius' horse going into a flying gallop after questioning what would happen if you smacked it on the rump.

At midday they traipsed back up the lawn to the castle for lunch and then it was off to Defence Against the Dark Arts. The Gryffindors handed in their homework to Professor Scythe, a tall, powerfully built man with a crew cut and a tendency to shout rather than talk. 

Everyone stayed perfectly silent and still, hastily copying down notes as he quickly went through numerous curses and hexes. Throughout the lesson, Professor Scythe grilled them all with a rigorous verbal test, barking out questions to students at random. Anyone that hesitated or got the answer wrong was punished with the loss of two house points. Those that got the answers correct gained only one point.

Harry noticed that Professor Scythe rarely directed a question at Remus unless it involved a long, complicated explanation. Remus answered them quickly and correctly each time, yet Professor Scythe's nostrils would flare as though he had hoped the question would be too difficult for him.

Peter received the brunt of the questions but most people were the recipients of some very tricky questions that Harry was sure that even Hermione would have struggled with. Harry had a nasty feeling that the Gryffindors lost an awful lot of points on a regular basis during these lessons.

When Professor Scythe finally dismissed them, the Gryffindors practically flew out the door as though afraid of being left alone in the classroom with him.

The corridors were packed with students heading to their next lesson. The Gryffindors were stood at the top of a staircase, waiting for a crowd of younger students to pass, when Harry spotted someone rudely pushing their way out of the Hospital Wing doors.

It was the boy Harry had seen leaving Hagrid's cabin earlier that morning. Though Harry couldn't say why, something about the dark-haired teenager just didn't seem right, like a certain darkness was emanating from him. And it wasn't just Harry; students were skirting round him, shooting odd looks over their shoulders at him as he strode past … like they had never seen him before …

Harry pulled his wand out of his belt. Maybe it was just paranoia but sometimes a gut feeling was all you had to go on.

The boy's dark eyes swept up and down the corridor, and then he slipped out of sight down a dimly lit passageway. Harry quickly checked where the Marauders were; they were heading downstairs. Harry made his decision and flew after the boy.

At first Harry couldn't see him. The few stubs of candles that were lit cast weak, watery shadows across the walls, sending the rest of the passage into deeper shadow. Harry brought the Nimbus to a halt, staying as still and as silent as possible, straining his ears and squinting through the gloom.

Faint footfalls sounded from up ahead. Slowly, Harry glided down the passage. Gradually his eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness and he was able to make out a thin figure moving swiftly away from him, almost invisible against the shadows. What little light there was found the boys skin, making it appear ghostly pale.

Harry took aim, his hand slick with sweat, and whispered under his breath.

From the end of his wand came a smoky, dark green shadow, barely visible against the dark. Suspended in the air, the shadow divided into two smaller shadows. One floated back to Harry, wrapping around him like a cloud. A chilling wave swept over him as the shadow touched his skin. The second shadow swam through the air after the boy. It hovered just above and behind his head for a second, then descended, lightly touching the back of his neck.

Fast as blinking, the boy swung round but not like he had jumped in sudden fear. The whites of his eyes seemed to glow as his intense stare sliced through the darkened passage. Fear took hold of Harry and he froze, not daring to so much as blink. His heart was pounding and his breath was coming in short, rapid gasps, for as his eyes locked onto the boy's, he knew.

He'd found the assassin.

Several long, agonising moments passed. Slowly, the boy reached up to feel the back of his neck. But the shadow had vanished, absorbed into his body. Harry could feel a cold, tingling sensation across his skin, like a shiver from the cold. He waited.

Abruptly, the boy swung his cloak around him, turned and hurried away, his footsteps light and noiseless. With every step the tingling cold lessened, until it had subsided completely. With grim satisfaction, Harry turned the Nimbus about and flew away, anxious to return to his parents.

True to his word to Dumbledore, Harry was not going to deliberately hunt down the assassin. But that didn't mean that he couldn't track his movements. If the assassin came within fifty feet of the Marauders, Harry would sense his presence. And Harry was going to do whatever it took to defend them.

All he had to do now was wait.

*

'Any word?'

The Order of the Phoenix was tense. Sitting around with nothing to do but wait was slowly but surely trying their patience, fearing that every second that passed would be their last before the timeline suddenly jolted them into a whole new set of circumstances. Speculation on 'what might be' had provided awkward and unavoidable conversation.

Remus and Sirius had returned to the main Hall but had barely spoken, despite the Order's attempts to engage them in conversation, anything to distraction them from their thoughts. But Remus refused to say a word and the only thing anyone could get out of Sirius were inquiries as to whether or not Harry had contacted the Order yet.

Arabella Figg sat with them, having brought each of them a cup of strong tea, which they had accepted, with a silent nod of thanks.

'Any word?' Sirius asked again. His face was tired and worn. He hadn't slept at all that night, determined to stay awake in case Harry contacted them and wanted to speak with him.

Arabella sighed and put down her cup of tea.

'Sirius, I'm sure that if Harry calls, you will be the first to know.'

Sirius nodded. 'Yes, of course.' he muttered distractedly, staring down at his cup of tea. It was still as full as it had been quarter of an hour ago when Arabella had given it to him, now it was almost stone cold.

Arabella tried to be sympathetic. He looked so much like a wounded puppy that she didn't have the heart to suggest that he snap out of it. His godson had left on a highly dangerous mission through time to protect his parents from a deadly assassin; Sirius had every right to be this worried but Arabella feared that unless Harry sent word soon, Sirius was going to make himself ill.

'Sirius,' she spoke softly, placing a hand on his. 'I know you're worried, we all are … but I'm sure he's just fine. Harry's a bright lad, he knows Dumbledore wants him to call us regularly but he's probably a bit busy at the moment ...' Sirius made no indication that he'd heard a word of what she'd said. 'I know Harry will call as soon as he can,' she said, smiling reassuringly. 'We just have to be patient.'

'He's been gone for over twenty-four hours,' said Sirius bracingly. His liquid brown eyes slowly raised to meet Arabella's. They spoke of a sense of loss, of sadness … but most of all … fear.

'Something's happened to him. I'm sure of it.'

He sounded so certain Arabella felt he was right. The long silence was fuelling everyone's fears and until Harry came through, there was no way to alleviate them.

Arabella looked hopelessly around the Hall, trying to think of something comforting to say.

In the centre of the Hall, Professors McGonagall, Sprout and Flitwick were tending to the gateway. Now that some stabilisation had been achieved, each of the attendants could take a break for a short while, then relieve one of the others in turn. The swirling portal shimmered in a beautiful rainbow of colour, but it only made everyone feel nothing but dread to look upon it, to think what it represented if Harry failed.

Over on the other side of the Hall were Katie and Alicia, both of them intently focused on a large, oval, golden framed mirror. The surface of the glass was like that of water; dark blue with ripples and light dancing across it. The girls watched over it, monitoring the glass for any change in the colour or texture. This was the medium through which they were to channel a call from Harry. The link he used would be drawn directly to it, rather than allow the signal to wander aimlessly until it found a random surface on which to materialise.

So far Harry had only used the link once. According to Dumbledore, Harry had been in a state of shock and probably wasn't thinking too clearly, considering who he had just seen. Harry had abruptly cut off the link to follow his parents and that was the last they'd heard.

Glumly, Sirius watched the mirror, praying, willing for Harry to call, but still nothing happened. The mirror stayed blank.

He couldn't take this much longer. Why hadn't Harry contacted them yet? Surely if he was all right, he'd call and let them know. So he wasn't all right. Was he hurt? Had the assassin found him? But then that would mean that Harry was …

That's it, Sirius thought. I have to find out. I need to know.

He stood up. Arabella looked up at his cold expressionless face in alarm.

'Sirius?'

Sirius moved away, striding purposely across the Hall. The portal twinkled innocently at him as he headed straight for it.

__

'Sirius!'

Marching straight past McGonagall, Sprout and Flitwick, who stared at him in confusion and alarm, he drew his wand and stepped up to the portal.

'Somebody stop him!'

At once, several pairs of hands seized him, roughly pulling him away.

'Hey, what are you - let go!'

Sirius struggled to pull himself free but to no avail. Gus had wrapped his arms around Sirius' chest from behind, pinning his arms. Arthur Weasley and his son Bill quickly helped Gus to haul Sirius further away from the portal. Professor McGonagall snatched his wand out of his hand before he could even think to use it.

'Let go of me!'

With a huge effort, Sirius almost broke free, just as a great booming voice rang out through the Hall.

'What is going on here!'

Sirius stopped struggling, twisting his head round to see Dumbledore hurrying across the Hall towards them.

'What happened?'

Nobody said anything for a moment. But as Dumbledore's piercing gaze flicked around the room, from the startled expressions on most people's faces, to Sirius being firmly restrained by Gus, Arthur and Bill, to the glowing portal in front of them and the terrified look of dismay on Remus' face as he looked over at his friend, Dumbledore seemed to have guessed what had just happened.

'Let him go.'

Arthur and Bill backed off straight away. Gus hesitated for a moment, then let go of Sirius who yanked his robes straight, glaring furiously at all of them.

'Sirius, follow me, please.'

Without so much as a backward glance, Dumbledore turned and walked out of the Hall. Everyone was watching Sirius anxiously, some moving slightly to stand between him and the portal, fearing he was going to make another break for it. He didn't move. Not a word was spoken as Remus quietly walked over, took his arm and led his friend out of the Hall. Sirius did not voice an objection but the blazing light in his eyes was apparent to his feelings on the matter.

Dumbledore was in the courtyard, standing by the fountain, his back to Sirius and Remus as they silently approached.

'Please explain why you just did what you did, Sirius.' he said, without looking away from the fountain.

'Explain? You need me to spell it out for you?' snarled Sirius, so angrily that Remus nervously moved away from him slightly. 'Harry has been gone for over twenty-four hours and he hasn't been in contact since!'

Dumbledore did not say a word, nor did he turn round. Sirius' temper flared.

'Something has happened Albus, and you know it. He's back there with an assassin who is after his parents, someone who would kill Harry without a second thought. For all we know, Harry could be dead or seriously injured - he might need our help!'

'How is severing the link between the two timelines likely to help?'

Dumbledore's tone was calm, non-accusing, but Sirius looked like he'd been slapped in the face. Remus' eyes widened.

'What?' he said quietly. 'What do you mean by that?'

Slowly, Dumbledore turned to face them both, his lined face extremely grave, his ice-blue eyes stern.

'If anyone tries to force their way through that portal it will collapse. It is not stable enough to send another person back.'

Sirius' face paled.

'But -'

'It is capable of bringing Harry back safely, I can assure you, because he has already gone through and will come back in the opposite direction. However, to risk sending another will disrupt the portal's stability. Think of it as a pendulum … it must swing back and forth equally in turn, to disrupt the motion will cause the whole structure to fail.'

Sirius stared at him, trying to comprehend what Dumbledore was saying. Dumbledore looked him straight in the eye.

'If the gateway collapses, we will be unable to resurrect it. Do you understand what that would entail, Sirius?'

'Harry won't be able to get back.' Sirius said in a horrified kind of trance. His gaze dropped to the ground but his anger had not yet subsided. 'But - Albus, I can't just sit here and do nothing! Can't we … isn't there something …' he trailed off, struggling to find the words.

'There is nothing any of us can do, Sirius.' said Dumbledore firmly but not unkindly. 'I understand your frustration but it will not help to accomplish anything. You gave your permission to allow Harry to go, it is too late to regret your decision.'

'But - I'm responsible for him. James and Lily trusted me to take care of him.'

'Then I must ask you to place your trust in Harry. He is not a child anymore, but a young man trying to make his own decisions and to do what he believes is right. It was his choice to volunteer and you gave your consent for him to go ahead. I don't believe you would have done that it you did not trust him.'

Sirius fell silent, unable to think of an answer to that.

'If Harry has not been in contact then the most likely reason is that he is unable to leave James and Lily. I gave him very precise instructions to protect the assassin's target. He is simply taking his responsibility very seriously, for which I am glad. I am confident that Harry will do his best … we must have faith and be patient.'

Dumbledore smiled warmly at them both. Remus watched Sirius closely. After a moment, he nodded.

'Yeah … you're right.' he said quietly. He sighed, gazing resignedly about the deserted courtyard. Dumbledore gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder then left them alone, returning to the Hall.

Remus moved to stand next to Sirius, eyes full of concern.

'Padfoot? Are you sure you're all right?'

Sirius nodded, more firmly this time.

'Yeah. It's just … I can't stand all this sitting around and waiting … not knowing if he's okay.'

Sirius suddenly felt very deflated and exhausted, his eyes itching from lack of sleep.

'I just wish I could _do_ something.'

Remus nodded. Neither of them were used to feeling this helpless. Like Dumbledore had said, there was nothing anyone could do and they knew it.

'Well, you know what Harry's like; it doesn't matter how much trouble he gets into, he always finds a way back out of it.'

'I trust him.' said Sirius firmly, truly believing it. 'I just want him to come back safely.'

Remus smiled sadly, putting his arm around his friends' shoulders.

'So do I Padfoot, so do I.'

*

****

To Be Continued

*

__

Please review. All comments and constructive criticism are appreciated. 


	7. Error Margin

****

Chapter Seven; Error Margin

Dusk had fallen. The sapphire sky slowly dulled; grey clouds tinged with pink gathered in a rolling wave approaching from the east, chasing the gold-white sun as it sent glowing rays of vibrant light lancing across the sky. The first few stars were coming into sight, shining weakly while the sun still remained, gradually descending.

The final vestiges of sunlight spilled across the castle and grounds penetrating the windows, casting streaks of light and shadow through the corridors and passageways.

Very few students were about. Curfew was within the next ten minutes so many of them were sensibly residing in their respective common rooms and dormitories. The people that were still about were the Prefects, congregating in the History of Magic classroom for one of their weekly meetings. Muffled voices could be heard from within.

Halfway down the adjoining passage, seated on a plinth supporting a large suit of armour, waiting impatiently for the meeting to finish, was Sirius. Half hidden in shadow, he didn't seem particularly concerned about being seen. So long as he stayed silent and stopped fidgeting, no one passing by would be likely to realise that he was there. Yet, unknown to Sirius, someone already knew he was there and had in fact been watching him for nearly twenty minutes.

Harry stood further down the corridor, standing in a shallow alcove, leaning against a huge stone gargoyle. Tired, hungry and still very nervous, Harry watched over Sirius from a safe distance, hoping that nothing was going to happen inside the classroom while both his parents were out of his sight.

James and Lily dutifully arrived on time for the meeting much to the protest of Sirius who insisted that they arrive 'fashionably late'. Choosing to ignore his suggestion, they left the Great Hall straight after dinner. Sirius telling James he'd wait for him so they could go down to the Shrieking Shack together.

Harry glanced out of the window at the gathering darkness. The full moon was tonight, but the now deep blue sky was as of yet devoid of the celestial body that would trigger a horrific and painful transformation.

Remus had become increasingly pale throughout dinner and, once again, had barely eaten a thing. As soon as he was able, he'd excused himself and left for the Hospital Wing.

Just as they were leaving, Sirius had told Peter to go down to the Willow and wait for him and James. Assuming that the Prefects meeting didn't go on for too long, they'd get down to the Willow shortly after Remus. Not daring to object, Peter had scurried off immediately, sneaking out of the front doors, transforming and disappearing into the long grass. Harry had then followed Sirius up to this corridor to wait for his father. 

So far he hadn't felt even slightly cold. No faint tingling or a tiny shiver. Nothing. Harry was starting to wonder if the Tracking Spell had not been strong enough and had simply worn off. Still, Hogwarts was a huge building. The assassin could be several floors above Harry for all he knew. There were limits to the Tracking Spell after all.

The long wait was continuing to worry Harry. He almost wished that the assassin _would_ make a move, just to break up the monotony of standing around waiting.

It transpired that Sirius didn't possess even half the patience that Harry had. Less than five minutes after James and Lily had left him in the corridor, he'd taken to doodling all over a piece of parchment he'd fished out of his pocket. Two minutes after that activity had lost its appeal, Sirius amused himself with casting shadows on the opposite wall. Harry watched with interest as a flight of tiny shadow dragons flew across the stonework, then smoothly transformed into little Quidditch players shooting in and out of the darkness.

Soon, the passageway became so dark that Sirius was forced to give up on his shadow game, casting an eye over to the closed door of the classroom, muttering under his breath for James to hurry up.

Watching him from the alcove, Harry's thoughts went drifting to Sirius' future counterpart, the two people blurring in Harry's mind.

One major, noticeable physical difference was the eyes. The eyes of this sixteen year old Sirius were a deep liquid brown, sparkling and constantly looking for fun and humour. There was no deadened look within them. No closed, blanked expression that came unbidden with the haunted memories of an undeserved imprisonment with sightless, soul-sucking fiends that had almost driven him insane.

An intense wave of regret and fury was stirring once more in Harry's heart.

After last night, he'd tried very hard to keep thoughts about Wormtail and altering history, out of his mind; blocking it out with a fierce determination not to stoop so low. But now it returned, bringing a fresh onslaught of possibilities and reasons.

There was just so much that could be changed for the better, if only Wormtail was out of the way, permanently.

Gazing at the young man before him, Harry felt as though he ought to mourn for the loss of such a fine, fun-loving person. This Sirius had yet to be thrown into the hardships of war against the Dark Lord; to be entrusted with the lives of his friends when suspicions and fear would cloud his judgement; to wrongly suspect a close friend and pass the responsibility of the role of the Secret Keeper to a cowardly traitor in an attempt to fool the Dark Lord in order to keep his friends and their son safe - only to have everything backfire so disastrously and to be framed for his friends murders, thrown into Azkaban without a chance to prove his innocence while the traitor got away with it -

Harry furiously rubbed his eyes, stinging with tears of bitter fury. Wormtail; it all came back to Wormtail. Everything would have worked out fine if hadn't been for him.

And yet Harry just couldn't bring himself to do it. 

The perfect opportunity was here and now.

So why on earth didn't he take it?

This could be the one and only chance that he would ever get to save his parents and spare his godfather from the horrors of Azkaban.

But that hollow, empty chasm deep within only intensified as he contemplated the murder. While one part of him relished the possible outcomes, there was that awful, sick, revolted sensation growing inside along with it. Revulsion at himself. 

It just wasn't something Harry felt he could live with.

Wormtail had taken life. Surely he harboured this feeling deep inside, too, and he would have to live with it for the rest of his days while it ate away at him from within. Perhaps keeping him alive was more of a punishment? Death would comes as a release if that was so. But did he deserve to live having taken the lives of others? Did Harry really have the right to execute him? Was it truly justifiable?

While still mentally fighting a battle of morals and ethics, Harry suddenly became aware of a presence. Someone was sweeping up the corridor, their black cloak fanning out behind them. The sun was almost gone but a feeble, watery ray of light filtered through the window to highlight a hooked nose on a thin sallow face.

Snape strode past Harry too quick for him to consider sticking his foot out. Sneer firmly in place, Snape approached Sirius with an air of poorly concealed sadistic glee.

Sirius looked up as he came nearer. A grimace of frustration and disgust contorted his features, his hand automatically moving to rest beside his wand, tucked into his belt.

'Well, well, look who's here,' said Snape, coming to a halt in front of Sirius, looming over him in an intimidating manner.

Sirius, with a great effort to restrain himself, attempted to ignore Snape by reverting his attention to his well-scribbled parchment.

'All alone? Now, this can not be. Aren't you _Marauders_ all joined at the hip then?' He said the name as though it were something foul and repulsive.

Sirius raised his blazing eyes to the arrogant Slytherins face.

'Oh really? And where are the rest of that pack of hyena's that obey your every whim? Sick of the tyranny at last, or has the stench of grease finally gotten to them?'

Snape's lip curled, his eyes flashing dangerously. Harry's respect for his godfather was rapidly increasing, seeing as how Sirius didn't even flinch. That look could easily send every Gryffindor in Harry's class into a cowering, gibbering wreck of nerves in less time than it takes to blink.

'What would Lupin be doing at the Whomping Willow at this time of night?' Snape's voice was soft but Harry heard him loud and clear.

Sirius stood up quickly, putting his face very close to Snape's.

'That would be none of your business.' He growled.

Snape remained unmoved.

'Ah, but I'm making it my business, Black. By all accounts Lupin is not even supposed to be on school grounds right now. Should he not be visiting his poor ailing mother like he _claims_ to have been doing all these years?'

Sirius blinked. Snape smirked.

'I've just seen him crossing the front lawn with Madam Pomfrey. Now, unless Lupin's mother happens to live under the roots of a violent tree, I'd say that little Lupin has been telling lies, which makes me wonder why.'

Harry watched anxiously as Sirius' eyes narrowed, his grip on his wand so tight his knuckles were turning white. Snape continued to smirk, folding his arms, his eyes gleaming maliciously.

'What's under the Willow, Black?' he hissed. 'You can't tell me you don't know.'

Harry shivered, drawing his cloak more tightly around him. A prickling sensation was swarming over his skin. Eyes wide, Harry jerked his head round, peering down the corridor.

There, not twenty feet away, stood a tall, dark-haired boy, pointing his wand towards Sirius and Snape. Dark eyes alight with malice, his lips were moving, forming silent words; yet as his lips moved, Harry could hear the words that fit the movements coming from the other end of the corridor - straight out of Sirius' mouth.

'If you want to know what's down there why don't you go and take a look?' Sirius said angrily.

Snape scoffed.

'In case you hadn't noticed, Black, that tree is somewhat _lethal_. If you think I'm stupid enough to go anywhere near it, you're stupider than I thought.'

'In case _you _hadn't noticed, _Snape_, there happens to be a large knot on the trunk. Poke it with a long stick and the Willow will freeze. Just slide down between the roots and follow the tunnel below. You want to see where Remus goes? Go take a good look.' He snarled.

Harry slowly looked from his godfather to the assassin and back again, recognising the use of the Diatribe Dictation curse, but why …

'All right,' said Snape coolly, smiling like a snake. 'I will.'

Turning his back on Sirius, Snape strode back down the corridor, a spiteful glint in his eye.

Seth Corbeau melted into the shadows as Snape passed by and disappeared down a staircase. His eyes shone with anticipation, a twisted smile of triumph on his face.

Harry felt as though the ground had fallen away from him as the realisation hit.

Seth moved silently after Snape, eyes gleaming like a cats through the darkness. Harry glanced back over his shoulder at his godfather. Sirius had resettled himself on the plinth, completely unaware that what he'd just told Snape had not been of his own free will. 

Panic rising in his chest, Harry ran after the assassin. Taking the stairs three at a time, Harry knew he was making much more noise than was safe but he had something more important to worry about right now.

Harry emerged on another dimly lit corridor. The torches had been extinguished. He couldn't see the assassin or Snape anywhere; the passage was deserted. Which way had they gone?

Harry quickly took a few steps to the left then darted back up the right hand side. A chilling wave seemed to emanate from this direction. Without hesitation, Harry followed it.

Sprinting down the passage, the coldness swelled, washing over him like an invisible ocean wave, chilling him to the bone. Harry hurtled round a corner just as his skin felt like it was burning with the intense cold.

A lone figure was moving swiftly away from him.

Harry raised his wand.

__

'Stupefy!' he roared.

The spell blasted down the corridor in a blaze of fiery scarlet light, illuminating the walls as it went.

A mere foot from its intended target, the stunner was deflected. Seth Corbeau stood poised, his wand pointed towards Harry though his eyes darted up and down the seemly empty passage, looking for the source of the voice.

Harry shouted, _'Impedimenta!'_ and flung himself against the wall using a suit of armour as a shield. The moment the jet of light materialised, Seth sent a deadly hex to where it had originated, expertly blocking the jinx as his own flew harmlessly down the passage hitting only a bare patch on the wall at the far end.

Stealthily, the assassin moved slowly back up the corridor towards Harry, eyes moving over the tapestries, the armour and the paintings on the walls. The terrible fury on his face sent a quivering tremble of fear through Harry, desperately wishing he'd taken a moment to consider a better plan of action.

The assassin was almost upon him. Harry pressed himself up against the wall, trying to make himself as small as possible, clutching the Invisibility Cloak to him. He brushed against the armour. It clinked softly.

Seth turned his fury-lined face to the sound. His eyes locked, unseeingly, onto Harry's crouched form. The assassin raised his wand.

Harry leapt up, throwing all his weight against the armour - the heavy battle suit fell forward, slammed into Seth and both of them crashed to the floor. A jet of light burst forth from Seth's wand as he fell. It lanced through the air, striking Harry in the side as he attempted to vault over the plinth and escape.

The smell of burning fabric assaulted his nose. The Cloak! Flames were licking at the silvery material, eating it up at a startling speed, the edges of the fabric suddenly turning visible as the fire touched it

Harry tore it off, throwing it to the floor. Vaguely wondering if he'd been burned at all, Harry froze as Seth flung the heavy armour off his body like it weighed nothing. Predatory eyes locked onto Harry's own, a terrible hunger evident within their depths.

Harry slowly backed away, keeping his wand up. He was shaking with fear and breathing in short, shallow gasps and suddenly gripped with a terrifying notion. This man meant to kill him. For some reason it had never occurred to Harry that anyone except Lord Voldemort would be responsible for his death. It just didn't seem to be a real possibility until now.

With fluid, predatory grace, the teenage disguise of the assassin rose from the floor and slowly advanced.

'Phoenix,' he hissed venomously, taking in the fiery scarlet and gold robes Harry still wore, 'So the Order saw fit to meddle with my task?' He cackled in a way that suggested to Harry that this man was not entirely sane. 'You're too late, do you hear me? Too late. My mission is complete. I shall return to my Lord and he will reward me greatly. But you, Phoenix, shall never return. _Vulnus!'_

The hex blasted towards Harry so fast he only just managed to dive out of the way, scrawling on the floor. The hex soared over his head but the relief was short lived. Another hex struck him where he lay, sending shock waves of pain pulsing through his body. Shaken and very disorientated, Harry slumped limply onto the cold floor. The hex was lifted a few moments later but the shock of it kept Harry down. Seth laughed, twirling his wand as he contemplated the best and most painful curse with which to destroy the Phoenix.

Harry's eyes darted frantically about the darkened corridor, praying that someone had heard the noise and was coming to investigate. But no one came. If Harry made a move, Seth was sure to kill him in an instant; the crazed assassin stood over him, savouring the fear in his prey's eyes.

This is it, Harry thought, despair crashing down on him. I've failed. The assassin's got his target and I'm going to die. Taking a deep breath, Harry tried not to think about Sirius, how upset he'd be, that they never had enough time -

Something hanging on the wall a few feet behind the assassin suddenly drew Harry's attention.

Before he'd even stopped to consider it, Harry, with a sudden burst of energy, dived forward, seizing Seth around the legs, bowling him over. With a startled yelp, the assassin fell heavily to the floor. Harry lunged and grabbed his wrist, forcing the wand up, slamming it against the wall, blurting out an incantation. A flare of pure white light erupted from the wand tip just as the fist that held it swung round and collided with the side of Harry's head.

*

'Hey! What's going on?'

Everyone in the Hall of Light looked up in alarm at Katie and Alicia. Both girls were quickly backing away from the golden framed mirror. The surface was churning like a storm tossed ocean, ripples flaring violently out of the centre point as a white light grew rapidly within it.

Arabella ran to the open door, calling urgently for Professor Dumbledore, Sirius and Remus. Next moment, Sirius came hurtling into the Hall, nearly running Arabella over, demanding to know what was happening. He froze at the sight of the mirror, or rather, the image that had formed upon its surface.

All the colour drained out of his face.

'Harry!'

On the other side of the glass his godson was struggling against an older boy who clearly had much more strength and, judging by the look on his face, rage fuelling his actions. Both boys were wrestling on the floor of a dark corridor, fighting hard to get back up on their feet. Harry was putting up a good fight; his nose was bleeding and a nasty bruise was rising on his cheek but he was doing his best to pull the boy's wand out of his hand, going for him with everything he had.

Professor Dumbledore and Remus came hurrying into the room, their eyes immediately drawn to the mirror. In silence, everyone slowly moved closer, gazing transfixed upon the battle.

*

Harry launched himself forward, landing on top of the assassin, grinding his knee into Seth's groin. Seth let out a bellow of agony - Harry seized his chance, yanking the wand out of his hand the second his grip weakened. Rolling off the assassin, Harry scrambled on all fours towards his own dropped wand.

Adrenaline leaning him strength, he leapt to his feet and moved to stand directly in line with Seth and the mirror behind him.

An intense wave of fury broke over Harry as Seth got to his feet, completely oblivious to the excruciating pain as his insatiable desire and need for the kill overpowered his mind. Like a savage beast, Seth crouched, a blazing haze of black light glowing about his form, a deadly curse forming on his tongue -

Harry froze for but a split second, then raised both wands -

__

'Expellere!'

The Banishing Charm shot from both wands simultaneously, striking the assassin with tremendous force. Seth was flung off his feet, thrown backwards - and into the mirror -

A cursing scream shattered the air like glass breaking; a blinding series of flashes shot across the mirror, Harry flung up his arms to shield his eyes, squeezing them shut but the light flared through his eyelids. He stumbled back against the far wall, a roaring sound like a wind storm pounding in his ears.

*

'What the hell? Everyone get back!' Gus bellowed, waving his arms frantically. 

Everyone surged back, away from the mirror, all of them straining to continue watching, as though in slow motion, Harry crying out the Banishing Charm … his opponent being blasted off his feet - directly into the mirror …

A blazing flash of light erupted from the mirror with a deafening torrent of thunderous crashes. Everyone scrambled back, covering their faces to protect their eyes. There was a violent, torturous scream, shrieking in an unearthly wail … then, all of a sudden, everything went quiet.

For a moment no one dared move. Slowly, people lowered their hands from their eyes, hesitant as to look upon the mirror, afraid of what they might see.

Sirius pushed his way forward, pale as death as he approached the golden frame. The glass had been shattered, the cracks splayed out in an intricate spider web, greatly distorting the hazy image of a dark, empty passage.

'Harry?' Sirius whispered uncertainly, trying to make sense of the fragmented display. 'Harry? Can you hear me?' he spoke a little louder, not caring that he sounded panicked.

A distorted figure in scarlet and gold robes hesitantly appeared on the edge of the mirror, edging cautiously forwards.

'Harry!'

'Sirius!

Harry darted up to the mirror but pulled up short, not daring to touch the glass.

'Harry, are you all right? What happened?'

'I'm okay,' said Harry, his voice shaking with relief. 'Couple of bruises and a bloody nose but I'm still in one piece.'

'Where's that kid you were fighting?'

'The assassin? I don't know, he just vanished when he fell through the mirror -'

'Yeah, we saw. Harry, are you sure you're all right?'

'Yes.'

Dumbledore stepped up beside Sirius.

'Harry, I'm pleased to see that you're safe but what of Lily and James?'

Harry's eyes widened, his mouth forming a stunned gasp of horror, turning his head to look down the corridor.

'Oh no …' he whispered.

'What is it?' said Dumbledore. Everyone else in the room exchanged fearful looks. Sirius and Remus went rather pale.

Harry jerked his head to look back at the mirror.

'It wasn't them!'

A collective murmur of confusion and bafflement broke out.

'It's - It's not Lily and James?' said Remus, stunned. 'But then who …'

'There's no time! I'll explain later!'

Quick as a flash, Harry turned and disappeared from the mirror.

*

The Whomping Willow stood in the middle of the lawn, tall and silhouetted menacingly against the cold full moon above, its branches rustling in the cool night breeze.

The front doors of the castle were flung open and a lone figure came hurtling down the steps and pelting across the dark grassy slope. Sprinting faster than Harry had thought he was capable of and considerably out of breath, he was abruptly seized once again by a terrifying, heart-stopping panic.

The lawns were barren. Not another soul to be seen.

Gasping in short, ragged pants, Harry skidded to a halt just short of the Willows branches as they sensed his approach and lashed out. There was a long stick lying in the grass. Harry snatched it up. In his haste, his aim wavered precariously, missing the knot on the trunk by a long shot. It took several attempts before the knot was prodded, dead centre. The Willows branches froze. Dropping the stick, Harry threw himself forward, diving down between the roots.

Sliding down the earthy slope head first, Harry scrawled clumsily at the bottom, scrambled up, and though his muscles and lungs adamantly protested, he ran as fast as he was able, drawing his wand and lighting it.

The wand light bobbed erratically as he ran, showing only a few feet of the long empty tunnel in front of him.

Adrenaline surging through his veins was the only thing keeping his body moving while his mind resonated with but one question.

Was he too late?

An indescribable wave of relief flooded him as the circle of light caught up with a cloaked figure further up ahead.

'Snape!' His voice, breathless and croaky, nevertheless drew the teenagers' attention.

Snape's sharp profile turned. He slowed, stopped, and then turned right round to face Harry, a confused sort of sneer playing on his face.

'Potter?' He raised a hand to shield his eyes from the wand light. His own wand was alight in his other hand, held at his side.

'Snape, you can't go any further!' said Harry, moving forward to grab his arm. 'Come on! We have to get out of here.'

Snape recoiled, disgusted. Raising his wand, he aimed the light at Harry's face, squinting through the gloom. Harry self-consciously took a step back, not wanting Snape to see him too clearly if he thought that he was James. Luckily, the front of his Phoenix robes were smeared thickly with dirt which completely dulled the colour; in the semi light they appeared to be black. Harry could only hope that Snape wouldn't look too close.

'What do you think you're doing, Potter?' said Snape. 'Come to stop me, have you?'

'Yes,' said Harry urgently. 'Snape, please, you _can't _go any further.'

Snape folded his arms defiantly.

'Give me one good reason why not.'

'Just trust me, you don't want to see what's down there. Now, come on!'

Snape gave a derisive snort, laughing.

'_Trust you?_ I wouldn't trust you to hit the ground if you fell from an airborne broomstick! And you're wrong; I _do_ want to see what's down here.' He gave Harry a shrewd look. 'Unless of course, you want to tell me what little Remus has been hiding?'

Harry's patience was already worn thin. Striding forward, he seized Snape's arm with the full intention of dragging him all the back up the tunnel, willing or not.

'We don't have time for this crap! Just move!'

'Get _off_ me, Potter!' Snape spat, twisting out of Harry's grasp. 'I don't know _what_ you think you're doing but I'm not going back until I've seen what this little secret of yours is.'

And he turned and set off down the tunnel. 

Infuriated, Harry made to follow, ready to use a stunning spell on him this time, when a frantic scuffling and rapid pounding of feet came out of the darkness behind him.

Without even thinking about it, Harry took a quick step to the side, pressing himself up against the wall, whispering _'Nox!'_ and the light from his wand extinguished. But not before he caught a glimpse of the person running full tilt towards him.

'Snape! _Stop!_'

There was an irritated sigh up ahead, Snape's wand light dim and flickering as he paused and called back over his shoulder.

'Potter, do you have cloth in your ears? Didn't I say -'

James Potter was still ten feet away when a rumbling growl sounded from up behind Snape, who instantly froze. Slowly, he turned towards the sound.

There was a flurry of movement and a blood-curdling howl, followed by the petrified screams of Snape as he stood rooted to the spot, frozen by fear.

__

'Snape! RUN!'

James grabbed the sleeve of Snape's robes and roughly pulled him away. Together, they raced back up the tunnel, darting past Harry who only just managed to avoid them, flattening himself to the wall.

He could hear loud sniffs and scufflings from where the werewolf was animatedly searching for its prey - the prey that had only just escaped with its life.

Shaken and numb with fright, Harry slowly raised his wand, pointing it up to the distant shadowy figure of the werewolf, hovering at the entrance hole into the Shrieking Shack. Harry closed his eyes and concentrated.

__

'Expecto Patronum!'

A silver stag burst forth in a flare of dazzling silver-white light, bounding up the tunnel. The werewolf raised its head and gave what sounded to Harry as a welcoming snarl, backing away from the hole as the Patronus leapt up to it.

Hoping that was enough to keep the werewolf occupied, Harry forced his weary legs to carry him quickly back to the Willow. Climbing up the slope took a long time, his body seemed to be shutting down like it wanted to just lay down anywhere and sleep. 

As he stumbled back over the lawn up to the castle to collect the Nimbus from its hiding place, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

His mission was finally over

He had to go back.

But his mind didn't seem to be able to grasp the concept of it, not properly. All his energy seemed to have drained out of him, he was so tired. Part of him told him that he ought to very proud of himself; he'd just saved a boy's life. But he couldn't feel it. Not yet.

His gaze flicked up to Gryffindor Tower. A few lights glowed from inside the dormatories. A lone owl fluttered out of one of the windows. The night was still and silent once more. 

Everything was as it should be.

Rubbing his eyes furiously, Harry looked over to the distance structure of the Quidditch stadium where the portal was waiting for him.

It was time to leave.

*

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To Be Continued

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Please review. All comments and constructive criticism are appreciated.


	8. Something to Remember

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Chapter Eight; Something to Remember

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'The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed …'

J.K Rowling / Albus Dumbledore ~ Prisoner of Azkaban

The courtyard at the Hall of Light was softly lit by glowing starlight and a slender crescent moon. A number of small fluttering bats flew swiftly overhead, flying among the exotic foliage in search of moths. It was so cool and peaceful that Harry was on the verge of falling asleep, seated on a stone bench and leaning comfortably against his godfathers' side with his head resting on his shoulder.

'I still can't believe it,' Sirius murmured, stroking his godson's messy and dirt-flecked hair. '_Snape_ was the assassin's target?'

'Uh huh,' Harry mumbled, not bothering to open his eyes.

'It wasn't Lily and James?'

'I believe we've established that fact, Padfoot.' said Remus pleasantly, sitting on the low wall opposite them. 'Quite some time ago in fact.'

'Well, I _still_ can't get my head round it.'

Harry was only dimly aware of Dumbledore approaching and settling himself down on the wall next to Remus. The rest of the Order was in the main Hall celebrating Harry's success even though Harry was much too tired for it. He simply wanted to stay right here, not moving, just sitting here quietly with Sirius until he fell asleep. The front of his robes was still covered with dirt and grime and was now smeared all over Sirius' robes but neither of them seemed bothered in the slightest.

'But why?' asked Sirius, directing his question at Dumbledore. 'It doesn't make any sense. Why would the assassin be sent after Snape of all people and not Lily or James?'

'Actually,' said Dumbledore slowly. 'It makes perfect sense.'

Harry opened one eye to see Remus and Sirius exchange a baffled look.

'As you are both fully aware, Severus has been a great asset to the cause of Light Magic, working undercover within the Dark Lords ranks and providing us with a great deal of useful information.'

'Yeah, we already knew that.' said Sirius.

'Were you aware that he did the same during our first war against Voldemort?'

'Not until it was over,' said Remus. 'Before then we assumed, like everyone else, that he was a Death Eater.'

'Which was indeed true for a number of years, until he turned against the Dark Lord, making a very difficult and courageous decision as to which side he felt was the right one to fight for.' Dumbledore took off his half-moon spectacles, gave them a wipe with a white handkerchief and placed them back on his long crooked nose.

'Severus was undeniably my most important and successful spy. He tipped us off to many forthcoming attacks with invaluable information allowing us time to prepare and minimise fatalities and destruction caused, as well as luring many Death Eaters into traps, all the time staying perfectly inconspicuous. I'm sure you'll agree that this kind of occupation is extremely risky and dangerous. To be revealed as a traitor is an immediate death sentence. Although Voldemort had little reason to doubt him, I suspect that someone had been keeping a close watch on him and reporting to the Dark Lord. Naturally, this resulted in increased suspicion as to where his loyalties lay.

'When Voldemort launched that attack on Hogwarts over a month ago, Severus had known nothing about it. He was just as much an intended victim as Harry and indeed everyone else within the castle. From a number of accounts Voldemort addressed Severus personally on the matter, did he not?'

'So the mole had been unearthed,' said Sirius grimly. 'But I still don't understand. Why send an assassin so far back in time to get rid of him? Why not just kill him now, in the present day?'

'Severus had done far too much damage to the Dark Side,' said Remus, his eyes alight with sudden understanding. 'So, theoretically, by eliminating him early enough, the Dark Lord would have had an easier time of it during the first war. He might have succeeded in more battles and attacks if we hadn't been warned of them before hand.'

'Key word being 'theoretically' here. _Everything_ works in theory. Whether it does in practise is another matter entirely.'

'A fair point, Sirius,' Dumbledore said. 'And you are both correct. However, there is one other very important reason that I suspect is why the intended target was Severus.'

He regarded them all with a cool stare. 

'Do you know the reason why Lily and James went into hiding in the first place?'

'Because the Dark Lord was after them.' said Sirius promptly.

Dumbledore nodded slowly.

'Yes, but _how_ did we come to know that?'

Harry opened his eyes, staring up into Dumbledore's ice-blue ones.

'Snape found out and tipped you off, didn't he?' said Harry quietly.

'Yes, indeed.' Dumbledore smiled. 'Severus was the one who started off this 'going into hiding' business, in order to keep them both safe from Voldemort. Which, regretfully, in turn led to the proposal of -'

'The Fidelius Charm.' Sirius finished the sentence looking temporarily dumb struck.

'So, what with the event that followed, it inevitably led to -'

'Voldemorts downfall.' said Remus.

'Exactly. Had Severus not warned me of their immediate danger, I regret to say that James, Lily and Harry would not have stood a chance. They would all have been murdered.'

Harry shivered. Sirius pulled him a little closer. He was shaking a little as well.

Dumbledore continued. 'Lily's sacrifice of her life for Harry's, in all likelihood, would not have occurred a second time. Voldemort would have succeeded and the war would have continued. Maybe even lost.'

'But we can't know that for certain.'

'Nothing is for certain, Remus, except that what's done is done. The past can not be changed.' 

Dumbledore looked to Harry as he spoke. Their eyes met, a silent confirmation passing between them. 

'Time is so complicated given that any one incident, one single choice, can have infinite consequences. You can not predict what they will be. Who's to say what may have happened if that timeline had been altered even slightly.'

Harry blinked, then looked down at the ground.

Dumbledore stood up. 'I'd best return to the Hall. If you feel like joining us, please don't hesitate.'

He walked away through the glass double doors and back into the main building.

'Harry?'

Harry slowly raised his head. Sirius' face was full of concern.

'Are you okay?'

Harry thought for a moment, then decided to be honest.

'No,' he muttered. 'I'm not.'

'Why? What's wrong?' Remus leaned forward.

Harry was silent for a few minutes, unsure as to how to say it. Finally, the tidal waves of emotion he'd been bottling up inside since coming face to face with his parents; the horrifying, repulsive thoughts of 'disposing' of Wormtail to try and save them, all came spilling out of his mouth.

He wasn't sure if Sirius or Remus could understand even a word of what was tumbling over his tongue and through the tears that were stinging his eyes, threatening to fall.

They both listened in silence, not even attempting to interrupt or ask a question. They just let him talk, to get it all out. Sirius wrapped his arms around Harry, holding him close. Harry clung to him like he was a lifeline, confessing his almost irresistible urge to slay Wormtail in order to save his parents and Sirius.

When Harry could say no more, he buried his face into Sirius' chest as the tears started to fall, chasing each other rapidly down his cheeks. Wishing bitterly for this wretched feeling to just go away, he screwed his eyes shut and cursed himself silently for such a childish outburst.

__

Now what are they going to think of me, he thought numbly_. Crying like a baby when you're nearly sixteen_.

Shaking and feeling very sick, Harry hung onto Sirius tightly. His godfather gently rubbed Harry's back, whispering that it was okay to cry, that he shouldn't be ashamed of it. But despite Harry's valiant efforts to stop them, the kind words just made the tears fall faster. They just wouldn't stop.

They sat there for a while, just holding onto each other.

Remus silently asked his friend if he was all right dealing with this. Sirius nodded, turning his attention back to his godson. Silently, Remus left the courtyard, gently easing the doors closed behind him.

Delving into his pocket, Sirius pulled out a handkerchief, tapped Harry on the shoulder and placed it in his hand. Harry slowly pulled his head away from Sirius, sniffing and hurriedly wiping away the tears.

'I'm sorry.' He mumbled.

'What for?' Sirius asked softly.

Harry sniffed louder.

'For not doing anything to save my mum and dad. I could have done something.'

'Harry,' Sirius gently tilted Harry's chin so that their eyes met. 'Do you not remember what Dumbledore said before he left?'

In all honesty, Harry couldn't. His brain felt so numb he couldn't think straight.

'The past is past. We _can't_ change it.'

'But - but I had the chance.'

'So why didn't you take it?'

'I don't know. I wanted to. I thought I could save them.'

'By getting rid of Peter?'

'He betrayed all of us. It's all his fault you were thrown into Azkaban and my parents were killed. If he weren't there -'

'They might still have been killed.'

Harry stared, glassy-eyed, not sure if he'd heard correctly.

'What?'

'Harry, as much as I would love for James and Lily to be alive today, for them to have raised you, and for so many other things in the war to have gone in our favour … there's just no way to change it. What's done is done. I know it's not 'fair' or how everyone would have wanted it to be … it's just the way things are and we have to learn to accept them.'

'Even if we don't like them?' asked Harry bitterly.

__

'Especially if we don't like them. Harry, you can't dwell on the past, forever going over in your mind what _might_ have happened. You can't do anything about it and you shouldn't blame yourself for it. I had to learn to accept that truth a long time ago.'

Sirius' eyes dulled slightly, his voice low and wistful.

'I spent a very long time going over the past in my head, wishing so hard that something could be changed, that it could have been avoided … hating myself for making all the wrong decisions.'

'But you didn't know what would happen.'

'Exactly. No one knows. The past can't be changed but I believe the future is negotiable. All we can do, Harry, is to move on with the knowledge that we gain from the past, from our mistakes and our triumphs. We do the best we can with what we learn each day. It's that any of us can do. Do you understand what I'm trying to say, Harry?'

Harry gave a small nod, taking the words in. They did make sense. They didn't take away the deep hurt inside … but they did ease it a little.

'I don't blame you for feeling tempted to change time. I know I would have felt the same, only I probably wouldn't have had the guts not to do it.'

Harry was confused. 'What do you mean?'

'What I mean is that despite the temptation, you rose above it. You didn't succumb to it, allowing it to control you. Deep inside you knew it was wrong and you stayed firm.' He gave Harry a small smile. 'You know if you had told me you hadn't felt even slightly tempted I wouldn't have believed you.'

Harry became rather focused on his lap, toying with the soggy handkerchief.

'But you freely admitted it and I'm very proud of you.'

Harry looked up in surprise.

'Really?'

'Really. It takes a lot of guts to resist that sort of temptation and a lot more to admit to it.' He put an arm round Harry's shoulders. 'You're only human, Harry, and I don't doubt for a minute that James and Lily are just as proud of you as I am.'

Harry flung his arms round Sirius' neck, but without any tears this time. In their absence came a wonderful feeling of liberation, like a heavy weight had been lifted from his chest, heart and mind.

For a while they sat without moving in comfortable silence, the only sound was the faint trickling of the water fountain.

'Do you want to go back to the Hall?' Harry asked, a little while later.

'Sure, why not? I mean, if you feel up to it?'

'Yeah, I'm okay.'

Together, they started off across the courtyard. Sirius looked thoughtfully down at his godson.

'You know I was watching when you were beating the crap out that assassin?'

'Yeah?'

'I was quite impressed, considering you've never had any proper training in fighting. Do you think you'd be up for some professional training? When you've recuperated of course. I just think that perhaps it would be of benefit to you.'

'Proper training? Like duelling?'

'Duelling, definitely. And self-defence is invaluable, you can't always rely on your wand. I notice you dropped it during the scuffle. But I must say you did very well; you certainly left your mark on that assassin.'

Harry grinned, pleased.

'I wonder where he went?'

Sirius shrugged.

'Who knows? Who cares for that matter? I doubt he'll be back.' Sirius' face brightened as though struck with a sudden idea. 'Hey, I just remembered! We never got round to organising that party! You still up for it? Big celebration with a Quidditch match, lots of friends and your godfather doing the inevitable parental duty of embarrassing you in front of them?'

Harry laughed.

'Definitely! When are we having it?'

'Whenever you want it, Harry, it's your party. But if you want to wait a little while for your birthday that's fine, gives us a bit of time to sort everything out.'

Harry simply beamed and gave his godfather a fierce hug.

'I can't wait.' he said

Grinning broadly they returned to the Hall to join the celebration.

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Finis.

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Authors Notes

Thank you all very much for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. I'd appreciate any final reviews and comments, they are all very much appreciated.

Many thanks to everyone who has left an encouraging review! Especially Lil Lupin, WeasleyTwinsLover1112 and evil spapple pie, you guys are wonderful! I couldn't ask for nicer reviewers! Glad you all enjoyed the fic.

No one guessed it was Snape?? Phew! I was worried it was going to be too obvious! 

Evil spapple pie, you are correct, there is more to Seth than I've shown here. The reason I didn't kill him off was because I don't want to loose a character that has the opportunity to make a re-appearance. Same reasoning goes for Wormtail only being held in Azkaban awaiting a Dementor's Kiss at this point, I'm tempted to bring both of them back in another fic at some point. You never know when they may come in useful!

I may continue to write Harry's adventures following on from Tell No Lies and Take It Back. I might even end up with an entire series! I do have a vague idea for the next one but I've yet to come up with an entire plot. Give me time!

Once again, thanks for reading!

~ Voltora ~


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